With Monday, October 31 rapidly approaching, the Town of Chapel Hill announced its plans for accommodating a downtown Halloween celebration that night.
The town government said it will close Franklin Street and Columbia Street to motorists from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Halloween night. Franklin Street will be closed between the Church Street and Henderson Street intersections, and Columbia Street will be closed between the Rosemary Street and Cameron Avenue intersections. Roads feeding into the closed areas may also be inaccessible.
An aerial graphic of closures and police set-ups along downtown Chapel Hill for October 31, 2022. (Photo via the Town of Chapel Hill/Downtown Chapel Hill Partnership.)
Officers from the Chapel Hill, Carrboro and UNC police departments will all be downtown on Halloween night. A list of prohibited items includes open containers of alcohol, weapons or items that look like or could be used as weapons, and drones. These items will be removed if seen by an officer, according to the town. Additionally, Hill Hall on UNC campus will be set up as a treatment center for anyone who experiences a medical emergency.
It’s a change from the Chapel Hill’s message to community members last Halloween, when town did not preemptively block the downtown area due to the COVID-19 pandemic was still causing a high spread of cases. Little to no people gathered in the traffic right of way as a result. This year, to guard against potential exposure to both COVID-19 and monkeypox, the town is encouraging residents and students to avoid celebrating in large crowds — even outside. Orange County is currently at a medium level of community spread for COVID. The Orange County Health Department has also released a guide of safer alternatives for Halloween, which can be found here.
Featured image via Town of Chapel Hill
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