2020 has been a year of interesting changes. The coronavirus pandemic has altered the landscape of our lives in many different ways, and this includes Halloween. As it continues to be an issue in the United States, parents may wonder if they will send their children out to visit neighbors in person to collect candy.
There are many municipalities that are canceling the trick-or-treating tradition this year and many others are putting restrictions on it. Parents have to plan very carefully to go trick-or-treating this year, and Hershey’s is helping out. They have designed an interactive map to help children be safer as they are trick-or-treating during COVID-19, according to iHeartRADIO.
The interactive map is available on halloween2020.com. Data is mined from the Harvard Global Health Institute to produce the geographic COVID-19 display. When a high level of cases per 100,000 residents is an issue, the county is marked in red. They are considered to be the highest risk. If a county is marked in green, it is considered to be at the lowest risk.
Families can use the map to determine the COVID-19 risk within the community they live in. Hershey’s then provides additional suggestions on how to plan Halloween festivities to maximize safety. They consider a number of possible activities that could be appropriate, depending upon the risk level.
In the green and yellow zones, trick-or-treating may be possible. Of course, you would want to follow the social distancing guidelines provided by the CDC. Drive-by trick-or-treating is a better option for families that live in the orange zone. If you live in the red zone, you may want to consider having a virtual party or perhaps a small group at your home of friends and family.