Halloween is a great time to show off scary costumes, put out spooky decorations, and give tasty treats to trick-or-treaters. But some Halloween activities can also be high-risk for spreading viruses like COVID-19. That doesn’t mean you can’t still have fun. There are ways to lessen the risk, keep safe and decrease the spread of viruses.
Traditional trick-or-treating where children in groups go door-to-door for candy is considered high risk. Consider other ways of participating in the fun of Halloween by following these guidelines from the CDC.
Make trick-or-treating safer
- Do not use a costume mask in place of a cloth or disposable face mask. Most costume masks are not going to keep children safe. So swap out the costume mask for a safer face mask. You can even have the kids paint or decorate their own masks to match their costumes.
- Talk to your neighbors about other ways to enjoy Halloween safely, including planning a socially distant, outdoor scavenger hunt or costume party as long as everyone remains masked and at least six feet apart.
- Set up a station with individually bagged treats for kids to take. Children could pick up the individually wrapped gift bags at the end of a driveway or yard while still preserving social distance.
- Only allow children to eat treats that come in their original wrapper and make sure they wait until they are home and you can inspect the treats.
Remember you should not participate in trick-or-treating if you or someone you live with is sick.
There are also low-risk activities that your family can do if you don’t feel comfortable trick-or-treating:
- Carve or decorate pumpkins with members of your household.
- Have a virtual Halloween costume contest using Zoom or other online platform. Include judging for best or most original costume.
- Have a Halloween movie night.
Whether you decide to go out or stay in, Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic wishes you a fun-filled, spooky, and safe Halloween.