Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday his children will not go trick-or-treating on Halloween this year due to Covid-19 restrictions, but may instead hunt “Easter-style" for candy around their house.
Public health officials have reintroduced a partial lockdown in the capital Ottawa and several other Canadian cities and towns to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus after a recent spike in the number of cases.
Among the recommendations in Ontario, the nation’s most populous province, was to not send kids trick-or-treating, provoking a public outcry. “Unfortunately all of us are having to make sacrifices of different types, particularly kids," Trudeau told a news conference.
“Listening to public health officials means that my family will not be going trick-or-treating this year because… in red zones like Ottawa, they are not encouraging or not recommending trick-or-treating," he said.
But, he added, his sons Xavier, 13, and Hadrien, six, as well as his daughter Ella-Grace, 11, “could do an Easter-style treasure hunt for candy throughout the house and yard." “I think families will be (similarly) creative in how they respond to giving their kids as fun a holiday as we can," Trudeau said.
Trudeau famously likes to dress up in costumes for Halloween and parties — since coming to power in 2015, he has masqueraded as Clark Kent, Sherlock Holmes and “Star Wars" fan favorite Han Solo.
The reintroduction of Covid-19 restrictions comes as Canada’s case count has exceeded 200,000, with nearly 10,000 deaths.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)