The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its recommendations to help lessen the risk of spreading viruses during the upcoming holiday season.
According to the CDC, Halloween traditions can pose a high-risk for spreading viruses, such as COVID-19 and recommends, “safer, alternative ways to participate in Halloween.”
Low-risk, alternative activities the CDC recommends include:
- Carving or decorating pumpkins with members of your household and displaying them
- Carving or decorating pumpkins outside, at a safe distance, with neighbors or friends
- Decorating your house, apartment, or living space
- Doing a Halloween scavenger hunt where children are given lists of Halloween-themed things to look for while they walk outdoors from house to house admiring Halloween decorations at a distance
- Having a virtual Halloween costume contest
- Having a Halloween movie night with people you live with
- Having a scavenger hunt-style trick-or-treat search with your household members in or around your home rather than going house to house
Moderate-risk activities include:
- Participating in one-way trick-or-treating where individually wrapped goodie bags are lined up for families to grab and go while continuing to social distance
- Having a small group, outdoor, open-air costume parade where people are distanced more than 6 feet apart
- Attending a costume party held outdoors where protective masks are used and people can remain more than 6 feet apart
- Going to an open-air, one-way, walk-through haunted forest where appropriate mask use is enforced, and people can remain more than 6 feet apart
- Visiting pumpkin patches or orchards where people use hand sanitizer before touching pumpkins or picking apples, wearing masks is encouraged or enforced, and people are able to maintain social distancing
- Having an outdoor Halloween movie night with local family friends with people spaced at least 6 feet apart
The CDC classifies these activities as high-risk:
- Traditional trick-or-treating;
- Trunk-or-treating;
- Attending crowded costume parties held indoors
- Attending crowded indoor haunted house;
- Attending hayrides or tractor rides;
- Attending a rural fall festival not held in your community or in an area where community spread COVID-19 has been reported.
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