Children banned from trick or treating in lockdown areas this Halloween, government confirms

trick or treat lockdown banned
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Downing Street has confirmed that trick or treating in areas of the country under lockdown regulations is not allowed this Halloween.

The government is said to have clarified that going door-to-door knocking for treats goes against the rule that households are not allowed to mix in lockdown areas.

Several areas of the UK, including Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow and Leicester, are currently subject to local lockdown rules which ban households from mixing.

Going from door to door and interacting with neighbours and friends still counts as mixing and so is not allowed in areas facing these restrictions, according to a Number 10 spokesperson.

Meanwhile, those living in areas that aren't facing lockdown restrictions must still abide by the rule of six when out trick or treating.

This means a group containing a maximum five children will be able to go out knocking on doors - with the person answering to the trick or treaters counting as the sixth member of the group.

trick or treating banned halloween lockdown

Credit: Getty

"The rules are clear on household mixing, dependent on whether you are in a local lockdown area or not.

“We are clear that everybody needs to follow the rule of six to ensure we can control and try and reduce the spread of the virus.

“The rule of six will be asked of the public," a Downing Street statement confirmed today.

This comes researchers from by King's College London released a list of the most common coronavirus symptoms, revealing that a headache and fatigue is often an early warning sign of the illness.

Researchers revealed, “Our data shows that the most commonly experienced early symptoms are actually headache (82%) and fatigue (72%) – and this is the case for all age groups.

“Only 9% of COVID-positive adults aged 18 – 65 didn’t experience headache or fatigue.”

Don’t worry too much if you’re suffering from just tiredness and a headache, though. Those two symptoms alone with no sign of a fever, cough or loss of smell are unlikely to be caused by coronavirus.

"While headache and fatigue are commonly found in people who have COVID (alongside other symptoms), having either or both of those symptoms alone is unlikely to be indicative of COVID."

Caitlin Elliott
Junior News Editor

Caitlin is a Junior News Editor for Goodto.com, covering all things royal, celeb, lifestyle, food, and family. Having set her sights on becoming a magazine journalist when she was a child, Caitlin took on work experience stints at local papers and titles such as Cosmopolitan, Now, Reveal and Take a Break while studying for her Multimedia Journalism degree and has interviews with celebs, reality stars and the Archbishop of Canterbury under her belt (of course, she couldn't resist asking him about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry).