Here's what Alberta's top doctor says can go ahead for Halloween

Alberta’s chief medical officer of health has given the green light for trick-or-treating this Halloween, but she cautions against large parties.

“This is not the year for large Halloween parties,” said Dr. Deena Hinshaw at Thursday’s regularly scheduled COVID-19 update.

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Hinshaw recommended that if anyone does have plans for a Halloween party, they should try to move the event outdoors and keep it within current public health measures.

Those measures currently in place include the following:

Indoor social gatherings

• Vaccinated: Indoor private social gatherings are limited to two households (yours plus one other) up to a maximum of 10 vaccine-eligible, vaccinated people and no restrictions on children under 12.
• Unvaccinated: Indoor social gatherings are not permitted for vaccine-eligible people who are unvaccinated.

Outdoor social gatherings

• Outdoor private social gatherings are limited to a maximum of 20 people, with two-metre physical distancing between households at all times.

If you and the kids are out trick-or-treating, Hinshaw says to wear a mask and only go with people from your own household.

If you are handing out treats, Hinshaw suggests wearing a mask and limiting contact with others.

“This could mean using tongs to hand out prepackaged treats, or setting them out on a blanket or tray for contactless pick-up,” Hinshaw added.

The province has also created a page on its website dedicated to informing Albertans on the do’s and don’ts for Halloween this year.