Halloween 2020 Safety Tips: Celebrating During a Pandemic

All sorts of events have been canceled this year due to the danger caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Halloween 2020 does not need to be one of those canceled events, though. With some smart precautions, you can still celebrate the spookiest night of the year with your family while prioritizing safety for yourself and your community.

Trick-or-Treating with Minimal Risk

For many families, Halloween means one thing: trick-or-treating. Unfortunately, the premise of trick-or-treating is inherently a virus risk because going door-to-door could potentially expose an entire neighborhood to someone who is pre-or asymptomatic. If virus safety guidelines are followed, though, then your kids might still be able to enjoy a bounty of candy from your friendly neighbors.

What you should do to trick-or-treat safely in 2020:

• Check local rules: To be extra careful during the pandemic, some communities have implemented a no trick-or-treating rule. Before you walk the neighborhood with your costumed little ones, check with your local city hall, sheriff’s department, or homeowners’ association to see if the activity has been banned. You do not want to end up in legal trouble just for some miniature candy bars.
• Wear a protective mask: If trick-or-treating is allowed in your area, then you need to prepare your costume, including all protective medical gear. You and your children should wear approved masks – like surgical masks or cloth coverings – at all times, even if your costumes include a mask. As scary as it might be, a monster mask is no match for the coronavirus.
• Use candy buckets: Trick-or-treaters should avoid direct or close contact with strangers. When you approach a home, you should see if there is a way to get the candy without direct interaction, such as picking it up out of a bucket that the homeowner is watching from a safe distance. You might even have fun attaching your child’s bucket to a stick and integrating it into their costume, like a scary scarecrow’s arm. Maintaining the six-foot social distancing rule is a must during the holiday.
• Sanitize or isolate all candy: Once you get home with your child’s new stash of sweets, you should sanitize all wrappers using soap and warm water. Candy that could melt due to the warm water should be isolated in an area that children cannot reach for three or four days. During this time, any trace of the virus should become inert and noncontagious, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Be sure to discard any candy that is not in a factory-sealed wrapper, too.

Spooky Fun in Your Own Home

Halloween for many families also means participating in spooky fun activities in the kitchen and living room. If trick-or-treating understandably sounds too risky for you this year, then plan on a fun event your whole family can enjoy in the safety of your own home.

Two of our favorite Halloween household activities are:

• Making creepy treats: Who doesn’t love a sweet that also looks like a creepy monster or ghoulie? For your Halloween night, you can make a variety of snacks and dishes with a spooky theme, like cookies that look like spiders or fruit punch served in a witch’s cauldron. There are many recipes, so there is bound to be something that entertains everyone.
• Watching scary movies: Of course, what Halloween night would be complete without a scary movie to send shivers down your spine? Find a flick that is age-appropriate for everyone in your family. Particularly scary movies might be too much for young ones. Everyone should have fun, not nightmares.

From BD&J in Los Angeles, we wish you and your family the most fun and safety this Halloween!