LAWRENCE, MASS. (WHDH) - Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera on Monday announced that trick-or-treating will not be allowed in the city on Halloween this year due to concerning coronavirus trends, but Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria said his city’s festivities would continue.
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With Lawrence ranking third in the state in overall case count, second in daily incidence rate per capita, second in two-week case count, and third in percent positive, Rivera concluded that door-to-door trick-or-treating is an activity that will put children and families at risk.
“The city of Lawrence is still a red zone and has continued to be for months, we are six times higher now than the day the state color map was instituted. We understand that this year has been full of sacrifices and disappointments, especially for families with children,” Rivera said. “At this time, we are not able to safely have our children in schools, and it would be careless to allow for public Halloween events to take place. We encourage families to seek lower-risk alternatives and not participate in door to door trick-or-treating.”
The Lawrence Police Department will also continue to enforce mask mandates and will continue to treat noise complaints in the city as possible spread events, according to Rivera.
Everett is also designated as a higher-risk community but DeMaria said he would still allow trick-or-treating on Saturday. He said there will be 12 designated stations across the city where trick-or-treaters can get masks and hand sanitizer.
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