City of Yonkers issued the following announcement on Oct. 22.
In order to provide for a safe and enjoyable holiday, Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano today announced that the Yonkers Police Department will issue a citywide curfew for children 16 years of age and younger on Halloween night – Saturday, October 31. In addition, Mayor Spano urges Yonkers residents to follow New York State's guidance for Halloween this year, avoiding traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating and adopting COVID-19 safe practices starting with social distancing and wearing a face covering.
"Halloween is a spooky holiday meant to be enjoyed by all, which is why we are taking a proactive approach in providing a safe fun-filled night for our communities," said Mayor Spano. "While COVID-19 cases are on the rise in the region, we can still make Halloween a fun event, but we need to be smart about it. The City will impose its traditional late-night curfew on young people, but will not impose any other mandatory measures other than to urge adherence to the State's guidelines."
“I am wishing everyone a very happy, fun, and healthy Halloween,” said John Mueller, Yonkers Police Commissioner. “Kindly review the safety/curfew guidelines. Your Yonkers Police Department will do all that it can to ensure that everyone has a very safe holiday but in order to do that, we need our communities cooperation. Let’s all do our part to follow the guidelines so that we can all have an enjoyable holiday.”
As part of the curfew, the Yonkers Police Department advises:
· Children ages 11 and younger must be home by 10PM
· Children ages 12 to 13 must be home by 10:30PM
· Children ages 14 to 16 must be home by 11PM
Exceptions include:
· Accompanied by parent or guardian.
· On an errand with parental permission, with prior notice to YPD Community Affairs Division – 914-377-7375
· ½ hour after end of school, religious and volunteer public entertainment -- no later than 12:30AM unless police are notified by host organization 24 hours in advance
· ½ hour after work -- with proof from Employer
· All youngsters 16 and under not subject to curfew if on or immediately next to their home (and if neighbor does not object)
Violators of the curfew will be taken to the nearest Yonkers Police Precinct, and parent/guardian will be notified. For more information about the Halloween curfew, contact the Yonkers Police Department at 914-377-7375.
Following are Halloween safety tips issued by the City of Yonkers for parents, children & residents:
Parents
· Do not leave children unattended.
· Know the route your child will travel and give him or her curfew.
· Be sure children can see through their masks. Costumes should be easy to see, either made from light colors or marked for nighttime with reflective tape.
- Dispose of unwrapped candy and only keep factory wrapped treats.
- To help plan a safe route, visit the sex offender registry athttp://www.criminaljustice.ny.gov/nsor/
· Avoid trick-or-treating alone. Try to walk in groups.
· Don't eat anything from a trick-or-treat bag before your parents have looked at it first.
· Enter homes only if you're with a trusted adult.
· Walk on sidewalks when possible and facing traffic to stay safe.
· Stay away from dark streets and buildings -- only visit well-lit homes.
Residents
· Drive slowly and be alert in residential neighborhoods. Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.
· Turn your headlights on earlier in the day to spot children from great distances.
· Popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:30PM to 9:30PM, so please be aware.
New York State's safety guidelines recommend against distributing candy from a bowl or handing it directly to trick-or-treaters. It recommends trying other activities to substitute for door-to-door altogether. If individuals choose to go door-to-door or distribute candy, the State recommends the treats be individually wrapped or packaged and placed away from the front door. Trick or treaters should be wearing a face-covering in addition to their costumes masks while remaining socially distant, and avoid taking candy directly from people, and should especially avoid taking treats from a shared container.
Original source can be found here.
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