The health organization advised against traditional trick-or-treating this year and suggested lower-risk activities such as Halloween-themed scavenger hunts at home or placing prefilled treat bags at the end of your driveway for kids to pick up. Halloween doesn't have to be canceled by Coronavirus.
Parents: What to consider before going out on Halloween
Sandra Kesh, an infectious disease physician at Westmed Medical Group in Purchase, New York, says it's possible to safely trick-or-treat this year. She advises:
-- Limiting trick-or-treating to three or four kids
-- Families should ask each other if they've been following precautions
-- Parents can wipe down candy to avoid surface transmission
-- If COVID-19 is not well-controlled in your area, you should refrain from going out
-- Have "a very serious conversation with your kids that if you are going to take them trick-or-treating, the rules have to be followed and respected. Otherwise, the game is over."
-- Have an adult chaperone even for older children to ensure safety protocols are followed
-- Trick-or-treaters should use hand sanitizer regularly and avoid touching their face.
Crafts: Make face masks more fun for kids
If you think the mask that came with your kid's Spider-Man or monster costume offers the same protection as a face mask, the CDC says think again. Costume masks are not substitutes for protective face masks. Instead, buy a Halloween-themed face mask or decorate one with a spooky theme. Plain masks can be customized with Dracula's fangs or a wicked witch's nose.
Outdoor activity: Form a candy line
The CDC says one-way trick-or-treating in which individually wrapped goodie bags are lined up for people to pick up while maintaining social distance (such as at the end of a driveway or at the edge of a yard) is a moderate-risk activity.
Several contact-less delivery ideas have circulated online: a "candy chute" – a 6-foot-long cardboard tube to slide candy to trick-or-treaters; a table stationed 6 feet away from the front door with individual bags of candy for children to grab or a large handmade spider web with candy taped to the strings.
At-home activities: Virtual costume parties and movies
The CDC suggests:
-- Zoom parties with friends, which include a costume contest
-- A piñata as the ending to a spooktacular Halloween
