Mayor Says No Decision On Trick-Or-Treating Has Been Made
September 16, 2020 at 10:11 p.m.
Mayor Says No Decision On Trick-Or-Treating Has Been Made
By David [email protected]
Asked Wednesday if there’s any concerns with trick-or-treating this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kosciusko County Public Health Officer Dr. William Remington said that’s a tough discussion.
“I would say it’s probably not the highest risk thing I’ve heard about in the last few months. It’s outdoors generally. If people can keep in their family and social bubbles as they go door to door,” he said. “We’re not talking about microwaving every bag of groceries that come home anymore. We don’t do that. It’s not in our discussion anymore as we’ve learned more about this virus.”
He said the treats at the door are probably not the biggest risk for acquiring COVID.
“Gathering 100 kids at a Halloween display in one front yard from 20 different families, that would be a different story,” Remington said.
People should continue to keep their distance and in their family bubbles as they go door to door. “I don’t see that as a huge issue,” Remington said.
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said no decision has been made on trick-or-treating.
“Each community makes decisions based on the prevailing conditions,” Thallemer said. “I know we had some storms potentially coming through a year or two ago and we delayed Halloween a day. And I think we made the right call for that reason. This is entirely different. I think it’s like anything else, we’ve still got six weeks to go. I assume probably into mid-October, early to mid-October, we’ll have these discussions with the Health Department and make those determinations.”
He assured everyone that no decisions have been made on Halloween.
“I think at the end of the day, whatever decision is made, families are still going to have their right to do what they feel is best for their family, and that certainly is going to trump anything that we say as far as whether or not someone wants to take their family out or not, if we go ahead and have it,” Thallemer said.
No one looks more forward to trick-or-treating generally than the children.
At Wednesday’s biweekly press conference on the coronavirus pandemic, Remington also provided an update on how local schools are faring. He also distributed copies of the COVID-19 update report for Kosciusko County parents.
“So we are very invested in the schools’ scenario and we are pleased. It’s been bumpy a little bit. Some quarantine directive has taken out 225 individuals to date in our county’s schools. That’s painful. Painful for coaches and teachers and administration. We’ve had 31 positive cases out of schools,” he said.
Communicable Disease Nurse Teresa Reed and her colleagues put together a statistical take on the school experience to date, he said.
“We do not see a super spreader event in schools at this juncture. Just don’t see it. We see representation of ongoing community transmission. They’re in the watershed of community transmission. We all are,” he said. “Schools themselves are being carefully managed, I might say, we’re very pleased with our engagement with them. Very thoughtful. And it’s still a bit painful with the hand-to-hand combat, case by case, every new positive to figure out who the close contacts are. Who should be sequestered. That’s tough. That’s labor intensive.”
According to some information in the report, of the 31 school-related cases from Aug. 12 to Tuesday, 12 were asymptomatic, 16 were very mild, one was mild, two were moderate and none were severe. By age group of positive cases, eight were between the ages of 5 to 10; three were 11 to 13 years old; 14 were 14 to 18; and six were 19 and older.
Seven of the cases reported having headaches; six, fever; five, sore throat; four, cough; four, body aches; four, runny noses; three, chills; three, diarrhea; three, loss of taste/smell; and one reported shortness of breath.
Asked Wednesday if there’s any concerns with trick-or-treating this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kosciusko County Public Health Officer Dr. William Remington said that’s a tough discussion.
“I would say it’s probably not the highest risk thing I’ve heard about in the last few months. It’s outdoors generally. If people can keep in their family and social bubbles as they go door to door,” he said. “We’re not talking about microwaving every bag of groceries that come home anymore. We don’t do that. It’s not in our discussion anymore as we’ve learned more about this virus.”
He said the treats at the door are probably not the biggest risk for acquiring COVID.
“Gathering 100 kids at a Halloween display in one front yard from 20 different families, that would be a different story,” Remington said.
People should continue to keep their distance and in their family bubbles as they go door to door. “I don’t see that as a huge issue,” Remington said.
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer said no decision has been made on trick-or-treating.
“Each community makes decisions based on the prevailing conditions,” Thallemer said. “I know we had some storms potentially coming through a year or two ago and we delayed Halloween a day. And I think we made the right call for that reason. This is entirely different. I think it’s like anything else, we’ve still got six weeks to go. I assume probably into mid-October, early to mid-October, we’ll have these discussions with the Health Department and make those determinations.”
He assured everyone that no decisions have been made on Halloween.
“I think at the end of the day, whatever decision is made, families are still going to have their right to do what they feel is best for their family, and that certainly is going to trump anything that we say as far as whether or not someone wants to take their family out or not, if we go ahead and have it,” Thallemer said.
No one looks more forward to trick-or-treating generally than the children.
At Wednesday’s biweekly press conference on the coronavirus pandemic, Remington also provided an update on how local schools are faring. He also distributed copies of the COVID-19 update report for Kosciusko County parents.
“So we are very invested in the schools’ scenario and we are pleased. It’s been bumpy a little bit. Some quarantine directive has taken out 225 individuals to date in our county’s schools. That’s painful. Painful for coaches and teachers and administration. We’ve had 31 positive cases out of schools,” he said.
Communicable Disease Nurse Teresa Reed and her colleagues put together a statistical take on the school experience to date, he said.
“We do not see a super spreader event in schools at this juncture. Just don’t see it. We see representation of ongoing community transmission. They’re in the watershed of community transmission. We all are,” he said. “Schools themselves are being carefully managed, I might say, we’re very pleased with our engagement with them. Very thoughtful. And it’s still a bit painful with the hand-to-hand combat, case by case, every new positive to figure out who the close contacts are. Who should be sequestered. That’s tough. That’s labor intensive.”
According to some information in the report, of the 31 school-related cases from Aug. 12 to Tuesday, 12 were asymptomatic, 16 were very mild, one was mild, two were moderate and none were severe. By age group of positive cases, eight were between the ages of 5 to 10; three were 11 to 13 years old; 14 were 14 to 18; and six were 19 and older.
Seven of the cases reported having headaches; six, fever; five, sore throat; four, cough; four, body aches; four, runny noses; three, chills; three, diarrhea; three, loss of taste/smell; and one reported shortness of breath.
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