"From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties and things that go bump in the night, Good Lord deliver us!" runs an old Scottish prayer.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But the most frightening thing this Hallowe'en could be COVID-19. Fortunately, families can enjoy all the haunts and horrors of the season - without worrying about their health.
NSW Health has provided guidelines to keep coronavirus and other evil spirits at bay. Hopefully, they'll work like a charm.
READ ALSO:
If you plan to hand out treats:
- If you have any symptoms of COVID-19 over Hallowe'en, stay home; don't receive visitors; and get tested immediately
- If you are self-isolating, don't open the door to trick-or-treaters
- Make it a front-yard event, not at the front door of your house. Keep your celebrations outdoors, and get creative in decorating the front yard.
- Only hand out individually wrapped treats.
- Don't use communal sweets bowls. Consider other ways of distributing treats such as hanging them individually on your fence, front gate, or up your driveway.
- Offer hand sanitiser at your front gate or fence.
- You may wish to avoid people knocking on your door by putting up a sign that says: "We are home but due to COVID-19, we are distancing. Please take one, Happy Hallowe'en!"
- Remember: You can only have 20 people on your property at one time.
If you plan to trick-or-treat:
- If you have any symptoms of COVID-19 this Halloween, stay home and give trick-or-treating a miss this year. Get tested immediately.
- Keep it local. Stay in your suburb rather than going to well-known "treat streets" that attract crowds.
- Celebrate outside. Don't go to people's front doors.
- Stay in small household groups (for example, a supervising adult and children from the same household), rather than groups Remember: no more than 30 people can gather outside in a public place.
- Stay 1.5 metres away from people you don't live with.
- Only take treats that are individually wrapped.
- Use a disposable bag to collect your treats, and dispose of it appropriately afterwards.
- Don't share your treats with others from different households.
- Don't share costumes or costume face masks.
- Carry hand sanitiser with you and use it often, especially after touching common surfaces.
We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.
Did you know the Goulburn Post is now offering breaking news alerts and a weekly email newsletter? Keep up-to-date with all the local news: sign up below.