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Cuomo Won't Ban Trick-Or-Treating During Coronaween
By
Ben Yakas
Published Sep 15, 2020
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Sep 15, 2020
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The annual Greenwich Village Halloween Parade has been cancelled because of the pandemic, but that doesn't mean that Halloween will be a complete bust in NYC. Governor Andrew Cuomo assured people today that he won't ban trick-or-treating for the most mask-friendly holiday. But that doesn't mean he recommends it.
“I would not ban trick-or-treaters going door to door, I don’t think that’s appropriate," he said during a call with Long Island News Radio this morning. "You have neighbors — if you want to go knock on your neighbor’s door, God bless you, I’m not going to tell you not to. If you want to go for a walk with your child through the neighborhood, I’m not gonna tell you you can’t take your child to the neighborhood, I’m not going to do that. I’ll give you my advice and guidance, and then you'll make a decision what you do that night."
A spokesperson for the mayor's office confirmed to Gothamist that "plans and guidance are in store" for trick-or-treating in the coming weeks.
Earlier this month Cuomo gave the green light to seasonal staples like corn mazes, haunted houses and hayrides, with restrictions in place including reduced capacity, social distancing requirements and mandatory face masks.
Other parts of the country have been torn on whether to come down hard on Halloween activities or not. Los Angeles County canceled trick-or-treating and Halloween parties last week because of coronavirus concerns, then revised that after parents and businesses “went apoplectic with outrage." Those Halloween activities are now officially "not recommended," but not banned.
This week, Hershey's launched its own website with an interactive map showing every county in the United States, color-coded to display the COVID-19 risk level in that area, along with general tips on how to participate in Halloween safely this year.
During his radio appearance today, Cuomo also brought up the recently released mask PSA starring "certified young person" Paul Rudd, saying he was frustrated at the amount of young people who haven't been wearing masks: "College kids coming back to college, they all want to have a party, they all want to drink. Younger people at protests, they’re not wearing their masks, they think they’re invincible."
So he turned to his pal Paul Rudd. “I’m a big fan of Paul Rudd, I had met him at an event," Cuomo said. "I call him up and I said, ‘Can you do a PSA, a video, that really gets to young people?’ And he’s respectful, he’s listening to me. ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah I can do that.’ I said, ‘You’re funny. I think humor might do it.’ Because I’ve tried everything. I’ve begged, I’ve pleaded, I’ve threatened. I don’t know what else to say. So, Paul Rudd says, ‘Yeah, I can do it.'"
The PSA did not, however, say if one must wear a mask under a Halloween mask.
Tagged
Governor Andrew Cuomo
pandemic
COVID-19
coronavirus
halloween
trick or treating
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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