CDC Halloween recommendations
Keep your distance this Halloween, especially if screaming is likely to occur, recommends the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recently issued its guidelines for a safe Halloween holiday free from the fear of COVID-19.
“The greater the distance, the lower the risk of spreading a respiratory virus,” when it comes to the chance of screaming, according to the guidelines posted on cdc.gov. That puts haunted houses and costume parties in the high-risk category along with hayrides, tractor rides, trick-or-treating, and even trunk-or-treating.
Moderate-risk activities include one-way trick-or-treating, where individually wrapped treats are left outside for grab-and-go goblins. Also in the moderate-risk category:
- socially distanced costume parades
- outdoor costume parties
- haunted trail or forest walkthroughs
- visiting pumpkin patches or orchards
- Halloween movie night
Lower-risk activities include carving or decorating pumpkins with members of your household, decorating your home, movie night with the people you live with, or a virtual Halloween costume contest.
Another fun idea from the CDC is to have a scavenger hunt treat-or-treat with household members in or around your home in place of traditional treat-or-treating.
The bottom line is that the threat of COVID-19 remains, so precautions are necessary to help stop the spread: wear a mask (a Halloween must anyway!), stay at least 6 feet apart from people not in your household, wash your hands often, and use hand sanitizer.