Local governments will be taking up the question of Halloween activities in the coming weeks but it looks like traditional trick-or-treating is out this year. And don't think that plastic costume mask is a substitute for the cloth one you're wearing now.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control released its guidance for the candy-flavored holiday with activity levels of low, moderate and high for transmission of the novel coronavirus that has infected nearly 7 million in the United States and killed more than 200,000.
Not surprisingly, going door to door to have treats handed out is among the riskier activities. The same goes for handing out candy from cars lined up in parking lots. Both mean interacting with or getting close to people who may not be in your "pod" -- those individuals with whom you have been isolating with over the past six months.
Also out are crowded parties and haunted houses held indoors, and even tractor or hayrides with people not in your household.
Most towns set the hours of Halloween to provide some consistency for residents. Last year, many Berkshire communities moved the Halloween celebration to Nov. 2 because of torrential rains and did the same in 2012 when Hurricane Sandy hit the coast. A freak snowstorm in 2011 also caused a wave of cancellations and postponements of events related to the holiday.
This year, COVID-19 has affected numerous holiday and summer events, ranging from cancellation of Memorial Day parades and observances to the shutdown of the Fall Foliage Parade for the first time since the Oct. 4 storm of 1987. Pittsfield has canceled its big Halloween parade and officials in Adams are trying to come up with a safe way for the town's children celebrate.
With parades and and hayrides out, the CDC is advising some moderate-risk possibilities such as "one-way" trick-or-treating by having individually wrapped goodies ready to go (as long as those preparing them take proper sanitary precautions), or small open-air gatherings using socially distancing protocols and masks for parties and movies.
Other options are one-way mazes and haunted forests -- but stay farther away than 6 feet if there's screaming involved -- and visiting pumpkins patches and orchards.
The lowest risk? Things you can do at home like decorating, carving pumpkins, movie night and scavenger hunts. Walk around the neighborhood and look at other homes' decorations and have a virtual costume contest.
The main takeaway is to continue to social distance, wash your hands and wear a mask (but don't overmask by placing a costume mask over your cloth or paper one).
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Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.
More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.
Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.
One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly.
"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."
Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.
Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC.
One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly.
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