Halloween 2020: Mornington Peninsula people say no to trick or treat
Debate over whether Halloween celebrations should be allowed this year is raging across the Mornington Peninsula. And one side of the argument is getting a lot of support.
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Coronavirus has made Halloween too scary to celebrate, Mornington Peninsula residents say.
An exclusive Leader poll revealed 70 per cent of respondents wanted to skip the tradition this year.
Most felt trick or treating posed too great a risk of sparking a fresh coronavirus outbreak.
“People have not been able to celebrate milestones in their life but kids could be able to knock on a strangers door for a lolly? No way,” Ange Dowling Faoro wrote on the Mornington Peninsula Leader Facebook page..
Nicole Kathleen said trick or treating was too risky.
“(Children) can’t catch it but they could go to a house where someone is affected and pass it around to others,” she posted.
Jen Wilson agreed saying that it was not the time for people to stop social distancing.
“We’ve spent months and months avoiding being around lots of people, why break it for Halloween? Save it for Christmas,” she said.
Others were against trick or treating in general and argued that it was an American tradition that should not be embraced in Australia.
Tony Brown said that given the stance against Halloween, “it might be traumatic for littlies to knock on doors” this year.
But not everyone planned to turn away trick or treaters on October 31.
Some still planned to decorate their houses and leave out bowls of treats for children.
Others suggested safer ways to celebrate including taking part in a Halloween Hunt that encourages people to place pictures of carved pumpkins in their windows to mark the event.
The pumpkins form a local trail that children can follow.
A wider Leader poll on the issue drew mixed responses with some calling for compromise and others in fear of a “third wave”.
Regional Victorians will likely be able to celebrate Halloween as normal but the rules around trick or treating during lockdown in metro Melbourne have not been made clear.
According to The Australian, Mr Andrews earlier this week said there was “no Halloween plan”.
“I don’t know that particular festivity will be central to our considerations, but I think people will be able, to the extent they need to, to interpret the rules and work out what is appropriate on the 31st, if that’s something they’re interested in doing,” Mr Andrews said.
The current restrictions will be updated on Sunday.
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