Halloween Safety 2020
It’s a full moon and a Saturday! Yay! And it’s in a pandemic! Boo! But don’t let that scare off your
Halloween fun completely. There are ways to celebrate while still preventing the spread of COVID-19
and protecting your family.
• Remember the 3 W’s: wash your hands, wear your mask, watch your distance.
• Stick to small groups, preferably just family. Ask kids to stay as far away from people outside your
household and to wear their mask inside and outside.
• Do not use a costume mask as a substitute for a protective cloth mask unless it’s made of two or more
layers of breathable fabric that covers the mouth and nose and doesn’t leave gaps around the face.
• Do not wear a costume mask over a cloth mask. This can be dangerous, making it hard to breathe.
Instead, consider using a Halloween-themed cloth mask.
• If sick or exposed to the virus, stay home, isolate and do not give out candy to trick-or-treaters.
• Any gathering should follow CDC guidelines and be appropriate for the level of spread in the community.
Lower-Risk Activities
• Carving or decorating pumpkins indoors with members of your household or outdoors, at a safe distance,
with neighbors or friends. Display for all to enjoy!
• Decorating your house, apartment or living space.
• Having a scavenger hunt in and around your house or throughout neighborhood while distancing.
• Having a virtual costume contest or party.
• Enjoying a movie night with people you live with.
• Learning about other cultures’ celebrations, such as Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead).
• Making a pinata and filling it with candy for your kids to swing at (maybe they’ll let you swing, too!).
• Making and decorating spooky treats/sweets.
Moderate-Risk Activities
• Participating in one-way trick-or-treating where individually wrapped goodie bags are lined up for
families to grab and go while continuing to physically distance (such as at the end of a driveway or edge
of a yard).
• Going to an outdoor costume parade or party – small group.
• Going to an open-air, one-way, walk-through haunted forest or an outdoor Halloween movie night with
local family friends. If screaming will likely occur, greater distancing is advised.
• Visiting pumpkin patches or orchards.
Higher-Risk Activities – AVOID!
Avoid these activities to help prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19:
• Traditional trick-or-treating where treats are handed to children who go door to door.
• Trunk-or-treat where treats are handed out from trunks of cars lined up in parking lots.
• Crowded costume parties held indoors.
• Indoor haunted house where people may be crowded together and screaming.
• Hayrides or tractor rides with people who are not in your household.
• Using alcohol or drugs, which can cloud judgement and increase risky behaviors.
• Traveling to a fall festival outside your community if you live in an area with community spread of
COVID-19.
Making Trick-or-Treating Safer
• Establish ground rules ahead of time.
• Don’t let kids dig around a candy bowl, touching multiple pieces. Ask them to choose one and stick with it.
• Don’t share or pass around props, toys, costumes or candy bowls. Ask each child to hold onto their own
candy bag.
• Bring hand sanitizer and practice not touching your face.
• Take a break, do a check-in, and give kids hand sanitizer between multiple homes. This is an opportunity
to remove masks with clean hands, in a safe spot away from others.
• Put bowl out on sidewalk or end of porch or make individual goodie bags for trick-or-treaters to take. Stay
on porch to see trick-or-treaters.
• At the end of the night, disinfect any doorknobs, doorbells, buzzers or other high-touch surfaces outside
your home.
• Put ALL of your candy away for three days. Maybe buy some candy ahead of time while you allow time to
pass.