Harmless fun for kids or an irresponsible Covid risk? Debate over Halloween sparks argument among residents of one of Australia's wealthiest suburbs
Residents in one of Australia's swankiest suburbs have found themselves in a heated debate over Halloween.
The online argument began when a neighbour asked the Facebook group 'Kirribilli connections' what the best streets were in north Sydney for trick-or-treating.
Some residents hit back at the post, claiming it was irresponsible to take part in the US tradition during the coronavirus pandemic.
'Stay at home. The last thing we need during covid,' one woman wrote.
Residents in one of Australia's swankiest suburbs have found themselves in a heated debate over Halloween
Some residents hit back at the post, claiming it was irresponsible to take part in the US tradition during the coronavirus pandemic
Another resident of Kirribilli - the harbourside suburb that contains the Sydney residence of the Prime Minister - fired back, disagreeing with the woman.
'Halloween is exactly what kids need, they love it,' he wrote.
The woman then replied with a zinger, saying: 'You must be from Melbourne'.
Others saw no issue with trick-or-treating during the pandemic as long as the kids carried hand sanitiser with them.
'I can't see any difference between sending kids to school together and letting them enjoy Halloween. It hasn't caused an issue yet anywhere in Australia,' another wrote.
The debate began when a neighbour asked the Facebook group 'Kirribilli connections' what the best streets were in north Sydney for trick-or-treating
Coroanvirus cases have dropped dramatically in Australia over the past month with New South Wales recording just one locally transmitted case on Monday.
The new case was a household contact of a previously reported case linked to the Oran Park community cluster.
Victoria recorded zero new cases for the first time since 9 June, prompting Premier Daniel Andrews to announce the easing of lockdown restrictions as of Wednesday.
Melbourne went back into lockdown on 8 July after a huge outbreak of cases that was traced back to security guards who caught the disease from returned travellers in quarantine hotels and then carried it into the community.
The 15-week shut down was longer than the 11-week closure of Wuhan, the Chinese city where the virus was identified late last year.