Hoboken anuncia actividades y cancelaciones de Halloween

As our state continues to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla this evening issued the following update on the city’s plans for Halloween:

Update on Halloween

As we enter October, I know that Halloween has been a topic of discussion among our residents and children. As with many other activities over the past seven months, the challenge is – how do we balance a day that has traditionally been a favorite of our children (and adults), with the fact that we remain in a pandemic? It is a topic that my family has been grappling with as well, especially with my two children.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently came out with guidelines regarding trick-or-treating and other Halloween related activities. These include avoiding door-to-door trick-or-treating, or trunk-or-treats, given the challenges of social distancing and the potential spread of COVID-19. Given these CDC guidelines, the most common question I am receiving is if trick-or-treating is going to be prohibited in Hoboken? The short answer is no. I believe this is a choice parents and families will be making with the most up to date information on the pandemic and infection rates available that we provide on a weekly basis, among other factors. However, taking into account the CDC’s recommendations, I am encouraging families and children to consider alternatives to trick-or-treating, including (but not limited to) the following activities:

• Artesanía y decoración de calabaza
• Noche de películas con tema de Halloween
• Una caza de carniceros con tema de Halloween en el hogar
• Decorar la casa con un tema de Halloween
• Concurso virtual de disfraces con amigos o familiares
• Coordinación con las escuelas para llevar trajes durante los días designados

I’m pleased to share that as a City, we will be hosting a Halloween-based drive-in Movies Under the Stars on Thursday, October 29, Friday, October 30, and Saturday, October 31. The times and movies to be shown will be announced in the near future. Additionally, we will be hosting a virtual costume contest for children, where photos of costumes can be submitted electronically, with winning costumes to be announced on or around Halloween on the City of Hoboken Facebook page.

Given the challenges of Halloween taking place during the pandemic, we are also taking precautions to keep residents as safe as possible and reducing scenarios where COVID-19 is more likely to spread. To that end, in consultation with the Hoboken Health Department, Hoboken Police Department, and Office of Emergency Management, we have made the following adjustments and recommendations for this Halloween period:

• Cancelar el desfile de Ragamuffin. Desafortunadamente, el desfile – que es uno de los desfiles más atentos que tenemos en Hoboken – es natural que resulte en congregación, especialmente entre nuestros hijos
• No habrá cierres de calles y la prohibición de fiestas de bloques el sábado 31 de octubre
• Posponer las calles abiertas el sábado 31 de octubre
• Enérgicamente desalentando cualquier tipo de fiestas en interiores (Para quienes organizan y asisten a grandes fiestas en interior, tanto adultos como niños, el Departamento de Salud de Hoboken recomienda la cuarentena durante 14 días completos)

We also recognize that some parents may come to the decision to allow their children to trick-or-treat as well. For those children trick-or-treating, along with accompanying parents, we are making the following recommendations:

• Usar una máscara facial, que puede incorporarse a un disfraz o traje
• Solo con miembros de la familia o contactos familiares
• Solo trampa o trampa en su barrio local o vecindario – evite las zonas que tradicionalmente se llenan durante Halloween si no vive allí
• Espera a que otros completen la recolección de dulces en una puerta o se inclinen antes de pedir dulces, para mantener una distancia social adecuada
• Coordinar con los miembros de su cuartel o edificio para que los niños reciban trucos o tratamientos durante las horas de alta hora, como por ejemplo en la mañana del sábado

If residents in households or apartments do not want to participate in handing out candy to children, which is completely understandable, we recommend shutting your lights off with a note on your gate or door.