Date Published: 20/10/2020
ARCHIVED - Granada municipality issues ban on Halloween parties and Trick n Treating due to Covid
ARCHIVED ARTICLE
This situation is likely to be repeated all over Spain as we head towards the end of the month
Normally All Saints and All Souls is a significant family celebration across Spain, as families gather in cemeteries to honour their dead, and the younger generation indulge in the more commercial aspects of the Halloween festivities which are now widely celebrated around the world.
But this year there are naturally concerns that this family fiesta will bring together crowds of people and encourage the spread of covid, so already measures are being announced by some councils to try and prevent this occurring.
Cemeteries are being signposted to indicate flow routes, plans prepared to limit the number of entries and limit capacity at any given time, and publicity campaigns published to dissuade members of the family from attending en-masse, but the authorities are generally more concerned about the private family gatherings that normally take place and the activities undertaken by younger people.
The case of Salobreña (Granada) is typical of other notifications already being issued as councils decide against taking any risk and issue an outright ban on Halloween parties and Trick n treating door to door.
The Salobreña City Council has issued a “municipal bando” an official declaration from the council in order to prohibit the celebration of Halloween this year to avoid crowds and possible infections due to the health crisis.
In the edict signed by the mayor, María Eugenia Rufino, Trick n Treating door to door is prohibited, to avoid contact between people from different family units, and parades, parties and private gatherings will not be allowed either.
Private gatherings are limited to 10 people and the council use local police patrols to ensure that there are no parties taking place: "The celebration of parties is prohibited, both in the private sphere and in hospitality establishments, which could generate crowds of people and non-compliance with the mandatory prevention measures established by the health authorities," says the mayor.
The municipal edict comes after the municipality registered an increase in infections following a private party during local festivals.
Lots more councils are expected to follow as we approach the end of the month right across Spain.