It’s always a good idea to pay attention to those who keep a close eye out for our safety. The Center for disease control and prevention is doing just that by releasing safety guidelines for those celebrating the holidays, including Halloween. As part of their guidelines, they are recommending that people avoid trick-or-treating in a traditional fashion due to the pandemic.
A recent post by the CDC outlines it very clearly. Activities that take place on Halloween tend to be done in larger groups, so we should moderate or lower the groups during high-risk activities. They said: “Many traditional Halloween activities can be high-risk for spreading viruses. There are several safer, alternative ways to participate in Halloween.”
There are a number of different things that could be considered low-risk activities and you can take part in them more safely. These include decorating and carving pumpkins outside as well as social distancing. Another option that they consider is “having a scavenger hunt-style trick-or-treat search with your household members in or around your home rather than going house to house.”
According to the CDC, one way of trick-or-treating is considered to be social distance. This takes place when you get individually wrapped goodie bags that are lined up for families to take from a distance. This is considered a moderate risk activity. Others include outdoor costume parties and going to a haunted forest, although you would want to social distance.
A list is also presented by the agency of higher-risk activities. According to the agency, everyone should “avoid these higher-risk activities to help prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.”
Some of the different things that are considered higher risk are “participating in traditional trick-or-treating where treats are handed to children who go door to door,” and even “having trunk-or-treat where treats are handed out from trunks of cars lined up in large parking lots.”
Many cities are curtailing the trick-or-treat plans this year and it will be interesting to see how the CDC’s guidelines fall into play.