No Worries Kids: Chris Christie Didn't Really Cancel Halloween in NJ Because of Ebola

Don’t start busting into that Halloween candy yet. Certainly don’t throw it out.

Gov. Chris Christie didn’t really cancel Halloween due to Ebola concerns.

On Tuesday, a satirical news blog called The Daily Currant released a hoax article on its website titled “New Jersey Bans Halloween Trick-Or-Treating Over Ebola Fears,” which has since gone viral via social media.

In the piece, Gov. Christie is cited in a faux interview with The New York Times stating,

“It would be silly for us to pretend Ebola is not a huge threat to New Jerseyans. We are smarter than that. Hence, the Halloween Quarantine...this has been a very hard decision. Trust me, the holiday when strangers hand you candy for free is near and dear to my heart.”

The article goes on to say the “Halloween Quarantine” is to be in effect Oct. 31 from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. and any children who violate “the curfew” are to be arrested while parents could face fines up to $1,000.

Patch made it into the hoax to make the story look a little more authentic.

Mary Young told the NJ Patch, “I had to explain to my kids that the government won’t let us celebrate Halloween. The youngest asked if it was because of the devil. I told him no, it’s because of politics. Jimmy is only six and has learned to hate politics.”

The satire story seems to be a response to the current controversy between Gov. Christie and Kaci Hickox, a nurse whose been very outspoken about her living conditions under mandatory quarantine after she returned from West Africa last week.

Hickox had a recent history of treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone and developed a fever when she returned - she has since tested negative twice for Ebola.