Garcetti Says Trick-Or-Treating Discouraged, But Not Banned
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Mayor Eric Garcetti Wednesday said that people should not participate in traditional Halloween trick-or-treating in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, but stopped short of issuing a ban.
"Door-to-door trick-or-treating is not recommended as it makes social distancing, nearly impossible," he said. "And the same goes for what's called trunk-or-treating where children go from car to car instead of from house to house."
Gatherings, events or parties with non-household members are not permitted under county guidelines, even if they happen outdoors, and neither are carnivals, festivals, live entertainment or haunted houses.
"As a father, I know how disappointing this is for our children, but we can come up with creative ways, whether it's hiding candy in our backyard, or figuring a way to make great art together, dressing up inside our households," Garcetti said. "Create your own tradition this year, but create one that is safe."
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Garcetti also said he issued an executive directive allowing schools within the city of Los Angeles to submit plans for reopening that would be reviewed by the planning department for consideration in an effort to streamline the process once they are allowed to resume in-person instruction.
"These campuses will now be able to submit temporary operating plans to make sensible changes to advance health and safety during this pandemic, including changing their drop off and pickup times, adjusting their hours of instruction and shifting the way they use indoor and outdoor spaces," he said.
Garcetti said that while plans can be submitted for review, the decision to reopen remains with the county's public health officials.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)