Halloween and COVID: What you need to know

Halloween is always a great holiday. Candy, partying with friends, scary movies, dressing up in costumes, what’s not to love! However, this year because of COVID, there are limitations on how Halloween is going to be. So, we’ve decided to write a blog to let you know what the experts are saying and what you can do under the current restrictions.

So first, what guidelines are set in place?

The guidelines you have to follow depends on where you live and your social distancing rules. England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland each have their own specific rules about social distancing, masks, and everything COVID related. This means that where you live will greatly determine what you are allowed to do for Halloween. It could be totally fine to go trick-or-treating in some places but not in others. Make sure you are up-to-date on what your area’s COVID guidelines are.

Will trick or treating be happening?

Choosing whether or not to trick or treat this year can be a tough decision. On one hand, you want your kids (and yourself) to be able to have some normalcy, but you also want them to be safe. In an area where there’s still ongoing community spread and things haven’t gotten to the point where places are opening up again, it’s probably best not to go trick-or-treating this year. However, in areas where the community prevalence is much lower, it might be okay to plan trick-or-treating while keeping safe. It’s definitely going to be a different experience than it was last year. So whether you trick-or-treat or not will be largely dependent on where you live.

What precautions can I take to be safe while trick or treating?

It is important to be safe and practice social distancing this Halloween. If you see a big crowd congregating, going house to house, it’s a good idea to hang back and not be part of the group. It’s easy to just travel house to house with the crowd, but this year it is important to be vigilant about not crowding. If you think you will end up coming into closer contact with more people than is recommended, put on a mask so that there is less danger of you getting or transmitting the virus to anyone else. Some hand sanitizer will also come in handy if there is a lot of grabbing from bowls.

How should I hand out candy?

If you are used to being outside your house handing out candy, the recommendation is to either hand out or leave out individually wrapped bags of candy. This helps prevent the spread of COVID because no one is rummaging through bowls.

Because of these restrictions and rules, it may seem like a fun Halloween would be very hard to plan, but there are also a lot of fun activities you and your family can do at home to make this Halloween special even if trick-or-treating and parties are out of the picture. Our favourites are:

1. Decorate your house

Halloween decorations are such a fun part of the holiday that you can still do regardless of whether you are allowed to go trick-or-treating in your area. Even if you don’t normally do it, this might be the year to go all out and get creative with your decorations!

2. Get a pumpkin from a local farm

It is important to remember small businesses during COVID, and a great way to do that is to find a local farm to pick some pumpkins. If you go to pumpkinpatchesandmore.org, you can search and find your area’s pumpkin patch.

3. Carve Jack O’ Lanterns

Although this one is a bit of a no brainer, carving pumpkins is a fun way to get into the Halloween spirit while still remaining socially distanced. Put on your favourite spooky playlist and get carving! There are some great patterns online you can print out for free so why not try it!

4. Host a virtual Halloween party

Creating a Zoom or Skype meeting for you and your friends is a great way to check up on people while remaining socially distanced.

5. Watch your favourite scary movie

Scary movies are a great way to get into the Halloween spirit. You can even host a scary movie party, enjoying your favourite blockbusters with friends virtually using free apps like NetflixParty and Scener!

6. Reverse trick or treat

If you aren’t comfortable trick-or-treating with your kids this year, instead of going to other people’s houses, why not drop treats off at your friends’ doorstep! This can be a great way to still get out of the house and exchange candy and kids won’t feel like they are missing out.

7. Cook some spooky treats!

There are a lot of fun Halloween recipes out there, so if you’re looking for something to do in the house, we recommend trying these recipes out!

8. See what activities your community is putting on

From haunted castles to tour busses, there are still quite a few activities going on that you and your family can get involved in while still being safe. To see some of the big events going on, check out this article for a list of great activities that you can do around where you live.

Although we are living through unprecedented times, it doesn’t mean Halloween has to be cancelled!

 

• 
• Author The Bamboo Team
• Posted 26 October 2020