Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic and all of the restrictions in place to ensure that everyone stays as safe as possible, the last time that Halloween took place in a normal setting, without having to worry about getting sick, was in October of 2019.

In 2020, since we were in the thick of COVID with very high case numbers and hospital rates, my family decided that it would be the best decision to not participate in any Halloween festivities that would involve people from outside our household. This included trick-or-treating. However, in years past, my family would always go trick-or-treating and would often connect with friends to participate in Halloween activities around the neighborhood with them, too.

As the second Halloween in the age of the Coronavirus approaches, we will need to decide as to whether or not we are going to be participating in activities that are often associated with the holiday, such as trick-or-treating. 

For the past 31 months, everyone across the globe has been navigating challenging times as the Coronavirus Pandemic continues to significantly impact millions of people worldwide. The Coronavirus has taken the lives of millions of people and has put an entirely new perspective on how quickly things that we love in life can be changed or taken away in an instant. This includes things like jobs, and even the ways that different holidays are celebrated, such as Halloween. 

If celebrated properly and out of an abundance of caution, Halloween can be a really fun and safe holiday to celebrate since masks and gloves are commonly used in Halloween costumes. Also, the most common Halloween tradition, trick-or-treating, takes place outside, so it makes it even more difficult to spread the virus since you are surrounded by fresh air.

However, while Halloween has safety benefits working in its favor, some safety concerns may make some people reconsider trick-or-treating. One of those concerns being when trick-or-treaters are collecting candy, there isn’t a way to know for sure if the person handing out the candy isn’t sick. In addition, people are likely to be closer together, since trick-or-treating is a very popular event each year and oftentimes multiple parties visit the same house at once to trick-or-treat. As progressions continue to be made and new restrictions are put into place, the best way to ensure the safety of yourself and others this Halloween is to follow the guidelines and advice of all local, state, and federal governments and health offices, as well as your healthcare provider.

My family has decided to hold off on finalizing our Halloween plans until the day before Halloween. That way, we can check the COVID statistics, re-evaluate our symptoms and the latest local and state guidelines, and make a decision that is best for our family.

Halloween definitely has the potential to be fun this year and there are many fun ways to celebrate safely, just how it has been in years past, but following safety guidelines is essential to ensuring that everyone is safe and has a great Halloween experience.