NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- New York City kids will be allowed to trick-or-treat on Halloween, but the tradition should take place outdoors, not inside apartment buildings, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday.
Halloween "is happening in New York City," de Blasio confirmed at a news briefing Wednesday morning, but trick-or-treaters should abide by the following rules, he said:
• All trick-or-treating should be done outdoors. "Only outdoors. No trick-or-treating inside apartment buildings, for example," the mayor said.
• Candy and other treats should be placed in a bucket, rather than handed out.
• Trick-or-treaters should step back six feet after ringing a doorbell.
• All trick-or-treaters should be wearing real masks or face coverings. "The mask you have on a costume is not the same as the kind of mask we use to protect ourselves and each other," he noted.
• Trick-or-treaters and their guardians should bring hand sanitizer with them and use it often.
• No one should hold indoor Halloween gatherings or parties.
"This is a topic that is on the minds of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, and they happen to be the youngest New Yorkers," de Blasio said. "And it is, for many of them, the most exciting night of the year."
New York City's Halloween safety guidelines are available on NYC Health's website.
