Can Halloween Be Celebrated Safely this Year?

Can Halloween 2020 be celebrated safely in the era of COVID-19? With some precautions, the popular holiday can still be a frightfully fun day for the entire family. Here’s how:

Should you take your family trick-or-treating this year? 

According to many medical health professionals, the answer depends largely on where you live. “In an area where there’s still ongoing community spread [and circumstances] haven’t gotten to the point where things are opening up again, I don’t think trick-or-treating is a great idea,” says Dr. Sandra Kesh, an infectious disease specialist at New York’s Westmed Medical Group. “In areas where the community prevalence is lower, I think it’s OK to plan to trick-or-treat, but it’s going to be a different experience than it was last year.”

What safety precautions do you need to take when trick-or-treating?

• Stick with family if possible.
• Keep groups small.
• Mask up.
• Keep face-to-face interactions to a minimum.
• Sanitize often.

How can you safely invite trick-or-treaters to your home?

“If you are going to hand out candy in person,” says Molly Hyde, an infection control practitioner, “make sure you are wearing a face covering over your nose and mouth when giving out candy.”

To avoid face-to-face interaction with trick-or-treaters, set up a bowl of candy outside and let your visitors help themselves. You can also choose to space individual treats on your front porch with a sign instructing kids to take one. At the end of the night, it’s best to disinfect doorknobs and other surfaces that might have been touched by trick-or-treaters.

Can you throw a Halloween party this year?

With a bit of creativity, you can still celebrate Halloween with friends. Follow these steps:

• Choose an outdoor venue, like a local park, and invite your friends to your Quarant-een bash.
• Have everyone bring along their Halloween costumes, comfortable lawn chairs and individual party bags in their trunks.
• At the party, have everyone park so the trunk of their car is in full view. Set up the chairs at safe distances and let everyone show off their costumes.
• Pop open the trunks for “trunk-or-treating,” corona-style!

Don’t let COVID-19 scare all the fun out of Halloween this year. With the proper precautions, you can celebrate and still keep it safe.