Area communities to observe Trick or Treat Saturday
By TONY FYFFE
BSN Editor
The coronavirus has not scared away Trick or Treat in the Big Sandy region as Lawrence, Johnson, Floyd and Martin counties will observe the annual Halloween activity on Saturday. Lawrence County and Louisa will celebrate Trick or Treat from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, while hours in Johnson, Floyd and Martin counties, as well as their county seats, will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Kentucky Department for Public Health has recommended guidelines for communities to follow during Trick or Treat to help curb the spread of COVID-19. Johnson County Judge-Executive Mark McKenzie noted the guidelines during a recent fiscal court meeting. “We really encourage folks to look at those guidelines and to make the adjustments that you think are necessary in order to protect your families, to protect the people who might be coming to your houses for Trick or Treat,” McKenzie. Floyd County Judge-Executive Robbie Williams also urged residents to practice safety during Trick or Treat. “There’s a way we can do this safely, people,” Williams said in a recent video on Facebook. “I don’t want to have Halloween parties, big gatherings. Let’s let the kids go out Trick or Treat. Let’s scale it back a little bit. We don’t need to be scouring the county trying to round up candy. We need to be doing Trick or Treat in our communities with folks that we feel comfortable in doing the Trick or Treating with. If you don’t feel comfortable in doing it, don’t participate.” The Department for Public Health recommends:
• Placing individually wrapped candy outside on the porch, driveway or table.
• Maintaining a social distance of at least six feet from anyone not within your household.
• Wearing a face covering, noting that Halloween masks do not count as a face covering.
• Cleaning hands before and after touching wrapped candy.
• Trick or Treating in family groups and not congregating in large groups.
• Trick or Treating in your own neighborhood and not traveling to other areas.
• Using hand sanitizer often, especially after contacting frequently-touched surfaces and before eating anything.
The department also urges citizens to avoid high-risk activities such as traditional door-to-door Trick or Treating, Trunk or Treat events with large groups in parking lots, costume parties, haunted houses, hayrides or tractor rides, and any event with large crowds. In addition, the department reminds citizens to stay home if they are sick; use extra caution and avoid moderate and high-risk activities if their children are at greater risk of complications from COVID-19; and consider the people in their household who may be at risk of greater complications from the coronavirus. “Focus on keeping Halloween fun and safe for children by avoiding adult activities that further increase the risk of COVID-19 transmission,” the department says.