Charlie Baker says coronavirus won’t ‘cancel’ Halloween in Massachusetts
There’s one thing Gov. Charlie Baker said coronavirus isn’t “canceling” this year: Halloween.
“The reason we’re not canceling Halloween is because that would turn into thousands of indoor Halloween parties, which would be a heck of a lot worse for public safety and for the spread of the virus than outdoor organized and supervised trick or treating,” Baker said, speaking in Salem on Tuesday.
While there will be “plenty” of guidance issued by the state on how to keep trick or treating safe, Baker said there would be no statewide mandate limiting Halloween activities this year even as COVID-19 safety protocols have turned many other rituals and traditions upside down.
Indoor parties are a “really bad idea,” Baker said. Some “simple” guidance — trick or treating in small groups and wearing masks — should keep Halloween relatively safe, Baker said.
“And not just a mask of Superman or Wonder Woman — like, a real mask,” Baker said.
Cities and towns “will make their own call” with respect to Halloween this year, Baker said.
Several communities — including the higher-risk communities of Lawrence and Springfield — have already restricted or limited door-to-door trick or treating. Salem Mayor Kimberly Driscoll said it would be impossible to do that in a city of Halloween “purists.”
Salem has struggled with its COVID-19 infection rates, finding itself in the red zone on the state’s coronavirus risk-assessment map more than once. Instead, the city will work to educate residents and the thousands of tourists who flock to its streets annually on the importance of mask-wearing and social distancing.
Business advocate Paul Craney of Mass Fiscal Alliance said, “the economic boost the holiday can bring is much needed and it would be a treat for countless families who need something positive to look forward to.”
Baker also told reporters he’s “glad to see that the president and the first lady seem to be recovering from their episode with coronavirus” but he considered it “incredibly irresponsible” of the president to ignore the advice of his own medical experts.
Baker particularly excoriated the president on his decision not to wear a mask even as “his own CDC says you should wear a mask.”
The president and the Republican governor are no strangers to sparring publicly. Just last month Baker blasted Trump in a five-minute tirade, calling out the president’s “appalling and outrageous” refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power should he lose the Nov. 3 election. The president clapped back, calling Baker a “RINO” — Republican in name only — on Twitter.
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2F6v1ko
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