We are knee-deep into October, and although it’s still hotter than the devil’s armpit outside, many locals are excited about kicking off the holiday season with Halloween. Costumes, candy, trick-or-treating, oh my! But wait, we missed something. Something that has haunted us since early this year and turned our lives upside down. When it comes to Halloween, you may be wondering how to stay safe within the rules while enjoying the holiday. Halloween may look different than before, but we’re going to show you how you can still have fun in this COVID-19 edition blog.
Preventing the Spread of COVID-19
The pandemic is still in full force, even with numbers on the decline since July. Flu season is also about to start, so it is imperative to keep up efforts to control the spread of COVID-19. Many traditional activities like trick-or-treating, handing out candy, and costume parties remain in the high-risk categories for spreading and catching the virus. To take it a step further, the CDC recommends you don’t do them for the safety reasons we just mentioned.Don’t Cancel Halloween
If there is one thing we can say for sure, creativity, ingenuity, and perseverance have survived despite the raging pandemic. These qualities have allowed some to keep their businesses, put food on the table after COVID-19 related job loss, and communities running when it seemed impossible. Halloween can still be fun for everyone while keeping yourself and loved ones safe and in the guidelines. Here are some tips for lower-risk substitute activities you can do this Halloween:- Trick-or-treating– Hide candy all over your house and yard and do a candy scavenger hunt, with clues and prizes for most candy found.
- Costume Contest– Host a virtual costume contest and an anonymous voting system to find the winner. Doodle has a free voting poll option app, or you can check for others based on your device.
- Pumpkin carving and decorating– You can carve or decorate pumpkins at home or do a social distance friendly activity with close friends or neighbors outside with stations spaced appropriately. You can also do holiday centered craft stations this way, and everyone takes home what they make.
- Parties– Plan to have your family party that day, decide on games to play with prizes, and a full Halloween themed food spread. The CDC says short, outdoor parties with limited attendees can still occur, using all the same distance and facial coverings recommended.