Spooky season is upon us! But for the first time in our lives… is Halloween cancelled?
This Halloween in particular is begging to be celebrated. The beloved holiday falls on a Saturday, and will be an extra hour long when the clocks roll back at 2am. The cherry on top of this Devil’s food cake is a big, bright, full moon!
Unfortunately, Halloween may need to be celebrated a little differently this year to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidelines as we enter fall with some tips on how to trick or treat safely. Some of these guidelines 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 (such as at the end of a driveway or at the edge of a yard).”
Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
“If you are preparing goodie bags, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 second before and after preparing the bags.”
The CDC also advises that screaming can spread respiratory viruses. If you’re planning to scare your friends, family, or trick or treaters, make sure that you are more than 6ft away!
Some of their safer alternatives this Halloween include:
- Carving or decorating pumpkins outside, at a safe distance, with neighbours or friends
- 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
The most important rule is that if you are feeling ill, you should not participate in Halloween activities this year. This would be the perfect time for a Halloween movie binge in isolation!
“If you may have COVID-19 or you may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, you should not participate in in-person Halloween festivities and should not give out candy to trick-or-treaters.”
In conclusion, Halloween is NOT cancelled. There are plenty of safe and spooky activities that will allow you to fully celebrate this perfect Halloween trifecta!
