Coronavirus: Enjoy and stay safe this October half-term

PR Date: Monday, 19 October 2020 - 12:00pm

With October half term approaching, North Herts District Council is reminding residents to stay safe and help protect themselves and others by continuing to follow Government guidance:

That’s why this year we’re urging you to play your part and help protect your loved ones and your community. There’s lots of fun, safe activities that you can plan from  pumpkin carving, having a Halloween themed scavenger hunt at home or going on a ‘spot the pumpkin’ trail with members of your household, think about protecting yourselves and those around you and always follow government guidance.

We have a limited window of opportunity to stay in control of the spread of the virus in North Herts and urge everyone to act now to avoid our district moving to high-risk status for which there will be stricter, tougher measures introduced.

• Keep doing the basics - wash your hands, cover your face and make space.
• Limit the number of people you see from outside your home - otherwise you risk not being able to see those people most important to you.
• Remember the rule of 6 - It is against the law to gather in groups of more than six people and the police have the authority to issue fines.
• Self-isolate – you still need to follow guidance on self-isolation during half term. If you have symptoms or if are contacted by NHS Test and Trace you must self-isolate. If you fail to do this, you are putting lives at risk.

For parents and carers, we understand how difficult it is that we are asking our children and young people to not spend time with their extended friendship groups, but this remains crucial; please have this difficult conversation with children ahead of half term. Now more than ever, we need to keep going to stop the virus spreading and keep our loved ones safe.

We’ve put together some ideas for low risk activities to keep you and your family entertained during October Half-term:

Get colouring in

Break out the felt tips and colouring pencils and have a go at colouring in our Halloween posters. Find them here and then stick them in your windows.

Recreate your own Great British Bake Off

With the Great British Bake Off currently on our screens, why not have a go at baking some of the creations from the show, judging the entries and then enjoy eating the treats you’ve made? They are all available on the Great British Bake Off website. Younger children will need supervising.

Get sewing!

Why not channel the Great British Sewing Bee with your children? Older children (and younger children, if they're quite dexterous and have good concentration) can have a go. They'll love wearing something unique made by their own fair hands!

Enjoy the garden while you can

Make the most of the last opportunities to enjoy your garden with your children this October. Your kids can get involved with harvesting autumn fruit and vegetables if you have a veg patch. They can also help with some last-minute maintenance jobs, such as raking the lawn to clear autumn leaves, dead-heading roses and neatening up containers and hanging baskets.

Get your coat and enjoy an autumnal walk

Autumn is a spectacular time to enjoy the natural world around us, particularly now the leaves are turning and there are glorious colours to be enjoyed in your local park or out in the countryside. Find local parks and nature reserves.

Mattress manoeuvres

Great for refreshing a boring afternoon or killing a squabble. Drag a mattress downstairs into the most suitable room and put cushions around it and on any hard edges. Voila! Your own indoor soft-play centre. When the kids are tired, grab a heap of books, take a lie down and do some reading.

Ideas for a fun and safe Halloween

With Halloween falling at the end of half term, take a look at our Halloween press release for ideas on how to have a Spooktacular Halloween, and watch our video on how to carve your very own rainbow pumpkin! Insert link to video

Thank you to everyone in Hertfordshire for your efforts in helping to control the spread of the virus. We all want our lives to get back to normal, but now is not the time to be complacent. Please continue to play your part this half-term– wash your hands, cover your face and make space.