The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned against door-to-door trick-or-treating this year as a way to avoid increased coronavirus transmission.
“Many traditional Halloween activities can be high-risk for spreading viruses,” the CDC guidance said. “There are several safer, alternative ways to participate in Halloween.”
Instead of typical door-to-door trick-or-treating, the agency recommended several “low-risk” substitutions, such as organizing a “scavenger hunt-style trick-or-treat search” for members of the same household, holding a virtual costume contest, hosting a household Halloween movie night, or carving or decorating pumpkins outside, at a safe distance, with neighbors or friends.
While neighbors should avoid handing out candy on their doorsteps, they could participate in “one-way trick-or-treating” where they put individually-wrapped goodie bags at the ends of their driveways or front yards for children to pick up as they go so as to maintain distance.
The CDC also noted that costume masks should not take the place of protective face coverings that people have worn since the pandemic began “unless it is made of two or more layers of breathable fabric that covers your mouth and nose and doesn’t leave gaps around your face.”
The agency included guidance for other fall and winter holidays, such as Dia de los Muertos, Diwali, Thanksgiving, and Hannukah. The CDC guidance is meant to avoid new case surges similar to what U.S. health officials reported after the Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekends.
