Massachusetts governor and Salem mayor outline safety precautions ahead of Halloween
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll spoke on Wednesday about new restrictions on Halloween activities as the state faces a rise in COVID-19 cases. Salem typically attracts half a million visitors during October, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the city is asking visitors without plans to not visit.
The new restrictions in the city include early business closures, road closures and parking restrictions. Train service to Salem will also be limited during the next two weekends.
"We need to make sure we don't allow the street party to get started," Driscoll said, according to CBS Boston reporter Christina Hager.
Parades, balls, and all large city events for Halloween were canceled back in August. Still, Salem has seen plenty of visitors.
"This year I would say anecdotally there is a younger crowd. They're folks in their 20s and 30s and there's just a sense of stir crazy, a little bit of wanderlust, there's not a lot of planning going on. They're clearly not getting the messages, all the advisories we're putting out, the things that are on websites indicating that this isn't the year to come," Driscoll said last week.
Governor Baker spoke about Halloween, saying outdoor trick-or-treating, if done in small groups with face coverings and limited interactions, is "a lot safer" than hosting a house party.
"I can't express this enough. Indoor house parties, with close contact, shared food, shared beverages, long periods of time with the same people, without masks or distancing – which in most cases will be the case – are just simply not a good idea," he said/