Melburnians Can Trick-or-Treat This Halloween As Long As It's Contact-Free

As we all well and truly know by this point in the year, 2020 has already delivered plenty of horrors. But, even with a pandemic spreading across the globe, it's still time for the spooky celebration that is Halloween — and the Victorian Government has announced how the state's residents can take part when Saturday, October 31 rolls around.

Obviously, there's little that's normal about this year's Halloween. But if you're keen to go trick-or-treating — or you have some littlies that'd like to — the government has advised that you can. It'll need to be a completely contactless affair, though; you can't go knocking on people's doors, for instance, but they can leave candy outside for you to collect.

The full Victorian Government Halloween guidelines are available on the Department of Health and Human Services website, but they largely apply the state's existing rules — even reflecting recent changes, including those that've come into effect this week — to the occasion. For example, for those doing the moseying around in costume, you can't gather in an outdoor public space in groups larger than ten. You'll also need to keep at least 1.5 metres between you and anyone you don't live with, and you'll have to wear a mask. Even if your costume has one built in, you'll still need to wear a fitted face mask underneath.

For folks keen to leave lollies out for eager trick-or-treaters — because, again, door-knocking isn't permitted — you're advised to place them in bags and leave them on your fence or at your front gate. Communal bowls aren't allowed, as they require everyone to pop their hands in and touch the same food. And before preparing those bags of sweets, the usual hand hygiene rules obviously apply.

Melburnians can still only venture 25 kilometres from their homes, too, so if you are currently planning to don something spooky and hit the streets, that's where you'll need to trick-or-treat. The Victorian Government's guidelines do note that "celebrating at home is the safest way to mark Halloween this year".

For more information about the status of COVID-19 and the current restrictions, head over to the Department of Health and Human Services website.