How To Remain Safe Over Halloween
Fredericton, N.B. – Party safety is a topic that is often overlooked at post-secondary institutions. Still, this Halloween is different because of the continuous spread of COVID-19 and the alarming risks of large parties.
People cannot be forced to stay in, but they can follow recommendations for how to remain safe from COVID-19 and parties’ risks in general.
“People can be safe while going out by wearing a mask, social distancing, and hanging out with people that you know,” says Residence Advisor Tristen Eisner.
With COVID-19 cases in New Brunswick still being in the mid 600s, everyone should prioritize safety. Any health expert would recommend that people should not be going to large Halloween gatherings. Still, since it is impossible to force everyone to stay home, people are advised to stay in smaller groups and not be around people outside their social circles.
These are all easy ways for everyone to have fun while remaining safe over Halloween from COVID-19, but the pandemic is not the only risk at large parties.
“Some good tips to stay safe at parties would be to make sure to drink some water, make sure to eat food throughout the day before you go partying, make sure to know where your drinks are coming from, and to make sure to stay with a good reliable group of friends,” says Eisner.
Party safety in the modern-day includes staying safe from the coronavirus and staying safe from people under the influence of drugs or alcohol. St. Thomas has a bad reputation for sexual violence at parties, ranking in the bottom four schools for sexual violence prevention on Maclean’s 2022 student satisfaction survey (completed by nearly 20,000 Canadian university students), which is why party safety is of the utmost importance.
Most university students have some idea of how to be safe at parties, but not all are willing to make the sacrifices.
St. Thomas student Alex Frederickson said, “On Halloween, I plan on going out, having some fun, celebrating, and meeting new people.” That is not necessarily unsafe, but others are more cautious. “On Halloween, I plan on staying in with my closest friends and maybe doing a Halloween costume contest,” said St. Thomas Student Keira Vnuk.
Halloween should not be a night where students have to worry about their safety, but it is an unfortunate reality. To be safe from COVID-19, it is recommended to wear masks, appropriately distance ourselves from others, or stay within previous social circles. For standard party safety, it is recommended to eat and drinks lots of water before going out, know where your beverages are coming from, and stay with reliable friends.