How To Stay Safe And Avoid Getting Sick This Halloween

We’re not out of the woods yet with the coronavirus, and that means taking extra safety precautions when it comes to holiday gatherings. We’re just a couple of weeks away from Halloween which means that Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here before you know it! We’ve collected some recommendations from the CDC so that you can be prepared to stay safe and still celebrate with friends and family.

Staying Safe At Holiday Celebrations

According to the CDC, in-person gatherings pose varying levels of risk. Event organizers and attendees should consider the risk of virus spread based on event size and use of mitigation strategies. Some things to consider are COVID-19 levels based on local communities, gathering locations & attendance levels, where guests will be traveling from, and health-etiquette of attendees. When reviewing your guest list, just as much thought should be put into who perhaps should refrain from the gathering. This would include those who have or have been exposed to COVID-19, people with symptoms, individuals waiting for their positivity tests, and especially those who are at a higher risk for severe illness.

How To Prep For A Safe Holiday Gathering

Holiday activities will have to look a bit different in order to prevent the possible spread of viruses of any kind. You can adopt modifiers and augmentations to your standard gatherings such as hosting your activity outdoors. If you aren’t able to host outdoors, be sure to increase ventilation by opening windows and doors to the extent that is safe and reasonable based on weather conditions. Be sure to update your guests ahead of time making them aware of the safety measures that should be taken during your event. You may also want to encourage guests to bring extra masks and hand sanitizer of their own.

Activity Risk Levels

When it comes time for Halloween activities, traditional celebration can be high-risk for spreading viruses. However, there are safer alternatives to participate in the spooky holiday!

Lower Risk Activities Include:

• Carving or decorating pumpkins with members of your household and displaying them
• Decorating your house, apartment, or living space
• 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:

• Having a small group, outdoor, open-air costume parade where people are distanced 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

Avoid these higher risk activities to help prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19:

• Participating in traditional trick-or-treating where treats are handed to children who go door to door
• Attending crowded costume parties held indoors
• Going to an indoor haunted house where people may be crowded together and screaming