Halloween revelers are poised to celebrate the spooky season more easily than the previous year, as many COVID-19 health restrictions have been lifted in time to trick-or-treat.
Before Sunday, the province published a guide that explains that hand sanitizer should be used throughout the night, wearing a mask is important, and that sweets do not need to be cleaned, as it is now clear that COVID-19 is mainly transmitted to through aerosols and droplets. .
Ontario has raised indoor capacity limits in most settings where proof of vaccination is required, meaning that indoor parties in venues and bars can operate with established health precautions.
Over the weekend, costume shops like Spirit Halloween and Crazy Halloween in downtown Toronto saw their shelves empty as partygoers scrambled to shop for costumes. And throughout Toronto, tickets to events are sold out across the city, including most ticket tiers for Monster’s Ball and the production group Excited Mental State’s annual Rocky Horror Shadow Cast show.
The Rocky Horror show has been running since the early 1990s in what is now called the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema. Last year, Excited Mental State held a modified version of the performance online.
This year, the show is running at 50 percent capacity and they sold out a week after tickets went up. The first show was Saturday night, and while the performers were masked, the enthusiasm in the theater was electric, said Rena Altman, the show’s casting chief.
“My God, I was jumping across the stage. We had such a great time. We always have a lot of teenagers especially … they were so talkative and excited, ”he said. “People were happy to be out again, just to be in a room with so many people and everyone cheering.”
“When everyone stood up to do the Time Warp, I was smiling so widely under my mask,” he said.
Watching a Rocky Horror performance live is something to be enjoyed in person, and coming back to that safely was a relief, he said.
At Richmond Hill, the Toronto Horror Hallways haunted maze event was able to operate in a slightly more “normal” manner due to the lowered restrictions, but precautions are still in place, said Corey Dixon, the event’s creator, who has been operating for six years.
In 2020, Horror Hallways was able to open up, but guests had to freak out from a much greater distance. They also hired two doctors to make sure the guests followed the protocols, and that’s one aspect they will be sticking with this year, Dixon said.
“It has been nice to go back to our original scares… this year we can get a little closer to our guests. It’s a really nice feeling, ”he said.
Last year, Horror Hallways was the only attraction operating in Richmond Hill, so they had long lines due to capacity limits, Dixon said. Now guests can enter the maze more quickly with a group of six, as long as they adhere to social distancing, a temperature check, contact tracing, and additional hand sanitization before entering.
“This year we were able to do a lot more than last year,” he said, adding that actors like to get up close and jump on guests.
Pumpkin parades will also return to town., Nov. 1, in more than 35 parks, where Torontonians can display their spooky pumpkins.
The Toronto Department of Public Health, which is expecting more tricks or treats this Christmas Eve, has also released safety guidelines for trick-or-treating and candy handlers, encouraging everyone to stay outdoors as much as possible. wear a cloth mask and hand out packaged treats. .
And, with the return of door-to-door celebrations, a part of childhood that was previously taken from Toronto’s children due to COVID is now back.
“I am the father of an eight-year-old girl and watching her celebrate Halloween is such a special part of her childhood,” said Josh Matlow, Toronto-St. Paul’s.
“It’s really meaningful to be able to come together as a community and see our neighbors again,” he said, adding that you need to make sure you follow COVID-19 safety guidelines and be careful about trick-or-treating while driving.
“And, for those of us who are parents of ghouls and gremlins, try not to eat too much of their sweets,” Matlow said.
With files from Irelyne Lavery
Reference-www.thestar.com