Like everything else fun in 2020, COVID-19 is affecting the way we celebrate and disrupting years-old traditions. That does not mean we cannot still have fun. In particular, with a little bit of thinking ahead and preparation, Halloween 2020 can be just as fun. That is why the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has provided recommendations to help stay safe this year.

First off, if you have COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, please do not participate in in-person Halloween activities or hand out candy. For everyone else, it is recommended to focus on activities that are lower risk like decorating your house, doing a Halloween scavenger hunt with your family or carving pumpkins with neighbors or friends at a safe distance.  

The CDC categorizes Halloween activities as lower risk, moderate risk and higher risk. Lower risk involves the suggestions above – mostly home-based activities like virtual Halloween costume contests and having a Halloween movie night with the family.

Moderate risk includes grab-and-go goodies for trick-or-treaters placed at the end of driveways or having a socially distanced outdoor costume parade. Other ideas are attending outdoor costume parties with cloth masks, NOT Halloween masks, and visiting pumpkin patches or orchards.

Higher risk activities range from traditional trick-or-treating to trunk-or-treats to hayrides and indoor haunted houses and parties.

Again, these are recommendations, but most importantly, the goal is to keep everyone as safe as possible. For more information on the guidelines from the CDC, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays.html.