The Isle of Wight Council is urging residents to ensure they follow official coronavirus guidance if they plan to mark celebratory events such as Halloween and Bonfire Night over the coming weeks.
With Halloween and Bonfire Night on the horizon, these are times of the year that traditionally see people come together to celebrate. However, the Island’s current local COVID alert level is ‘medium’, which means national safety rules apply and must be followed.
Simon Bryant, the Island’s director of public health, said:
“With local infection rates rising, it is vitally important that we all continue to observe social distancing, practice good hand hygiene and wear a face covering.
“Under the Rule of Six, gatherings of more than six people indoors and outdoors are also prohibited. Following the government guidance is our best chance of limiting the spread of infection and making sure we keep everyone safe.
“We are entering a crucial stage in the pandemic and we are working closely with our colleagues in the NHS and Public Health England, to continue to closely monitor the situation. We are urging everyone to play their part, follow the guidance and protect friends, family and loved ones.”
Specific advice for this season’s upcoming events is as follows:
Halloween
Trick or Treating: The practice of door knocking is not recommended because of difficulties in adhering to social distancing guidelines, risks associated with potential contact, mixing of multiple households and spread of the virus through contact with shared surfaces, including shared buckets of treats.
Government guidance applies to any social gatherings of people of all ages both in and outdoors. This includes meeting in groups of 3 people or less when seeing friends and family and the need to following social distancing rules.
Residents are encouraged to celebrate within their own household and to find alternative and creative ways of doing so.
Bonfire night
Large events to celebrate bonfire night are strongly discouraged because of the potential for mixing of large numbers of people, the risk of infection spreading from other areas of the community, and the potential for required support from emergency services.
Private events must adhere to government guidance around gathering and social distancing, with people encouraged to watch firework displays virtually wherever possible.
The council will be working with the fire service to ensure appropriate messaging around safety, including the requirement to be COVID-safe at all times.
Council leader Dave Stewart has said:
“Thank you to everyone for your efforts in helping to control the spread of the virus. We all want our lives to get back to normal, but now is not the time to be complacent.
“Please continue to play your part – wash your hands, cover your face and make space.”
But we’re still allowing hundreds of people to come on holiday, because that doesn’t matter.
Wight lives matter!!!
Excellent post Simon….
It’s clear our council doesn’t think so.
Absolutely agree. From places around the UK that have much higher infection rates of COVID than the island currently has.
Moan moan moan moan
I’m going to have another moan now, your punctuation is appalling.
One minute they are advertising people to come to the island as the virus rate is low, and then the next they are telling us not to do things as the virus rate is increasing.
They are changing their minds almost on a daily basis as what they want us to do or not do.
This is not how you lead.
Simple, Holiday makers line their pockets. Halloween doesn’t.
Where did the groups of three come from?
Getting fed up with being treated like mushrooms
Yep carry on eating your horse manure. enough of it being divulged on here with the moaning
People are wearing masks in empty rooms, on zoom calls, outdoors, after repeatedly testing negative for COVID-19, etc.The science doesn’t matter. Masks are a symbol for conformity…Nothing more.’No sign of second wave’ as ONS data shows normal level of deaths for time of year is what you’d expect to see if SARS-COV-2 had pretty much stopped circulating. So let the children out…what on earth are we doing.
What is so irritating about the Council telling islanders to keep to the Covid guidelines and then encouraging people to come here regardless where they come from.
Anyone in the highest Tier 3 should only be travelling outside of their area if it’s for work, supporting vulnerable people, and only when absolutely necessary should they go into a lower level tier because of the direct threat of spreading the virus, but its obvious that holiday firms feel they can disregard government laws judging by reports of coach sightings from the north.
Oh no, Halloween being discouraged. What am I going to do with all those frozen brussel sprouts dipped in chocolate and covered in mixed nuts to give to the little shits that knock on the door on Halloween and think they are getting a Ferrero Roche……..