[College Hill Topeka] Fwd: Media Release: SCHD Guidance for Celebrating Halloween Safely

Wed Oct 14 17:55:12 CDT 2020

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Rachelle Vega-Retana <rvretana at topeka.org>
Date: Wed, Oct 14, 2020 at 12:34 PM
Subject: Media Release: SCHD Guidance for Celebrating Halloween Safely
To:

*Topeka, Kan.* – The fall season is quickly approaching, and with it the
holiday season, starting with Halloween. Since some of the more traditional
ways in which Halloween is celebrated include prolonged and repeated
contact with non-household members, it is important to plan ahead and
identify safer alternatives that will help to mitigate the spread of
COVID-19 in the community.

“Many traditional activities surrounding Halloween can be high-risk for
spreading all types of viruses, including COVID-19,” said Linda Ochs,
Shawnee County Health Department Director. “Halloween, as well as other
upcoming holidays, may look and feel slightly different. However, we will
be able to still find fun and safe alternatives to celebrate while
continuing to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our community.”

Wearing face coverings and staying at least six feet away from people who
are not part of your household are two of the most effective ways to avoid
the spread of COVID-19. Keep this in mind as you plan activities for
Halloween. The Shawnee County Health Department offers the following
guidance on how to celebrate Halloween during this pandemic:

*Making Trick-or-Treating Safer:*

·         Avoid direct contact with trick-or-treaters;

·         Give out treats outdoors, if possible;

·         Set up a station or table with individually bagged treats for
kids to take versus handing out treats;

·         Wash hands before handling treats;

·         Stay away from crowds and clustering, and follow safe distance
rules even when outdoors;

·         Wear a mask.

*Wearing a Mask:*

·         Make your cloth mask part of your costume;

·         A costume mask is not a substitute for a cloth mask;

·         Do NOT wear a costume mask over a cloth mask. It can make
breathing more difficult;

·         Masks should NOT be worn by children under the age of 2 or anyone
who has trouble breathing.

*Events and Gatherings:*

·         Avoid gatherings, events, or parties with large numbers of people
outside of your household.

·         Avoid indoor events such as haunted houses. A local haunted
forest or corn maze may be a better option, as long as cloth face covering
use, physical distancing and one-way walk through is enforced. If you think
there may be screaming, leave extra distance.

·         Whether indoors or outdoors, you are more likely to get or spread
COVID-19 when you are in close contact with others for a long time.
Maintain 6-ft distance when appropriate.

*Additional Guidance from Reliable Sources:*

Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) –

https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1468/KDHE-Guidance-for-Celebrating-Halloween-PDF---92320
<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.coronavirus.kdheks.gov%2fDocumentCenter%2fView%2f1468%2fKDHE-Guidance-for-Celebrating-Halloween-PDF---92320&c=E,1,11yeIY5iHNg178awt7x6jP8l4PBZKKoONA9hePX9n5fmpsyoOVjtwzXK878fwq_IEmjSlsdfpkI6oKrYqU_mlQ3ebJErSLLHRF5Kb1NsfyvXy3Y,&typo=1>

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) –

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/daily-life-coping/Trick-or-treating.pdf

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/daily-life-coping/Halloween-Other-Activities.pdf

*Shawnee County Health Department is committed to working in partnership
with our community to promote and protect the optimal health of all people
by bridging gaps to eliminate health inequities, respecting the diversity
of our community, through adaptive and innovative processes.*

*Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube*

[image: Logo_Color_Transparent(3x2.5)]*Craig Barnes*

Division Manager

Community Health Outreach and
Planning

Shawnee County Health Department

2600 SW East Circle Drive

Topeka, KS 66606

http://www.shawneehealth.org/
<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=http%3a%2f%2fwww.shawneehealth.org%2f&c=E,1,12nCvL2jhlkiB_sx1BEeMlGJ1YLQTDyTiiqgr5QzPkPlbXpI8Vtydp4g37tYhiDN3xoIWhLOqHLjISS-IsEf2Bq2t4TUmW1pRAqJldZClcnb1Yo_6DAl2J4,&typo=1>

785.251.5612 office

785.806.6310 cell

785.251.5696 fax

Rachelle Vega-Retana, Grants Administrator

City of Topeka, Dept. of Planning & Development

Division of Housing Services

620 SE Madison St.  1st Floor – Unit 8

Topeka, Ks. 66607

Phone: (785) 368-4490

Fax:      (785) 368-2546

Email:    rvretana at topeka.org

The preceding email message (including any attachments) contains
information that may be confidential, protected by the attorney/client or
other applicable privileges or that may constitute non-public information.
This message is intended to be conveyed only to the designated
recipient(s). If you are not listed as a recipient of this message, please
notify the sender immediately by replying to this message and then delete
it from your system.  Use, dissemination, distribution, or reproduction of
this message by unintended recipients is not authorized and may be
unlawful."
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image003.png
Type: image/png
Size: 40770 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://collegehilltopeka.org/pipermail/neighbors_collegehilltopeka.org/attachments/20201014/8ceb8533/attachment-0002.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.png
Type: image/png
Size: 173997 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://collegehilltopeka.org/pipermail/neighbors_collegehilltopeka.org/attachments/20201014/8ceb8533/attachment-0003.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 10142020 SCHD Halloween Guidance.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 96255 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://collegehilltopeka.org/pipermail/neighbors_collegehilltopeka.org/attachments/20201014/8ceb8533/attachment-0001.pdf>