With Halloween falling on a Saturday this year and several challenging months behind us (and likely more to come), it’s only natural that people want to celebrate, big time. But many of the traditional things to do on Halloween—parties, parades, haunted houses, and crowds of kids trick-or-treating—may feel a little questionable during a pandemic. But don’t cancel your Halloween costume order or forget your ideas for easy Halloween costumes just yet. With a little creativity, you can still have a spooky time without putting your health or the health of others at risk. Read on for our smart ideas for a safe Halloween 2020 during coronavirus. “Just like we check the weather on Halloween to see what precautions and extra gear might be needed, knowing the current state of COVID-19 in your community will be important in determining if it is safe or not,” says Michelle Barron, MD, medical director for infection prevention and control at UCHealth in Aurora, Colo. “Follow the current rules and guidance being given at the state and local level, and do a risk/benefit analysis based on the health of the individuals trick-or-treating and those who live in the household and decide if the risk of getting potentially exposed to someone with COVID-19 is worth the bag of treats.” If you can’t trick or treat the traditional way due to the pandemic, look for ways to manage it creatively. You can buy your kiddo’s favorite candy and let her trick-or-treat door to door within your house, or have her walk through the neighborhood so she can show off her costume, then come home to a special treat or toy. Go ahead and research local and state guidelines surrounding Halloween, and read the CDC’s new guidelines for celebrating Halloween and other fall holidays during coronavirus. Knowledge is power: Once you know what experts are recommending, you can make the best decision for you and your family this holiday season. Just be prepared for recommendations, risk levels, and more to change in the days and weeks leading up to Halloween, and be adaptive. “If you are going to hand out candy, I would recommend having a small bottle of hand sanitizer and using it before handing out the treats,” Dr. Barron says. “This is probably a better approach than having a bowl that many hands can reach into at one time.” “If you are wearing another mask under a rubber mask, you want to make sure that it doesn’t get too hot and that the person wearing it can easily breathe,” she says. Sadly, your Halloween mask probably isn’t up to par as a safety device. “Most Halloween masks are not designed to contain droplets,” Dr. Barron says. “Masking and social distancing are still important,” Dr. Barron says. “Food and drinks should be prepackaged or in single servings and hand sanitizers should be readily accessible. Setting up chairs and tables so that everyone can be social but still maintain space between each other should be considered.” “Outdoor activities like pumpkin picking and corn mazes are great things to do and are probably lower risk than other types of indoor activities as long as masks are used and social distancing is adhered to,” Dr. Barron says. “Let creativity reign!” Dr. Barron advises. “I never thought I would have fun at Zoom Dance party, but I did this for a friend’s birthday and it was pretty great.” You never know what might become a new Halloween tradition.
