{"id":16427,"date":"2020-10-29T09:00:57","date_gmt":"2020-10-29T13:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=16427"},"modified":"2020-10-27T15:20:14","modified_gmt":"2020-10-27T19:20:14","slug":"halloween-coronavirus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/halloween-coronavirus\/","title":{"rendered":"What parents should know about having a COVID-safe Halloween"},"content":{"rendered":"

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE: As experts learn more about the novel coronavirus, news and information changes. For the latest on the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit the<\/span><\/i> Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The leaves are changing and beginning to fall. All that beautiful foliage means Halloween is approaching. 2020 is not a typical year, however, and the <\/span>global COVID-19 pandemic has many parents questioning<\/span><\/a> how to celebrate the haunting holiday while keeping up with the social distancing and hygiene measures necessary to help keep their families (and everyone else) safe.<\/span><\/p>\n

Halloween may look a little different this year, but it\u2019s not canceled! With some creativity, and modifications in our behavior, celebrating this spooky end to October can be both fun and safe.<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/b>Coronavirus and kids\u00a0<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

CDC guidelines for Halloween 2020<\/span><\/h2>\n

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (<\/span>CDC<\/span><\/a>) recently released guidelines, or considerations as they call it, for holiday celebrations during the pandemic. These are meant to supplement, not replace, any local health and safety laws, rules, and regulations. The CDC recommends taking factors into consideration when planning any holiday activities including community levels of COVID-19, location and duration of gatherings, as well as the size of gatherings. In general, outdoor activities pose less risk than indoor, and the more people in a gathering\u2014the greater the risk of spreading the virus. Traditional Halloween activities are given a ranking from lower, moderate, to higher risk for spreading the virus that causes COVID-19.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, traditional trick-or-treating (and trunk-or-treating) activities are listed as a \u201chigher risk\u201d by the CDC, along with attending crowded haunted houses or costume parties indoors.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cApproaching Halloween during COVID-19 is tricky this year,\u201d explains <\/span>Wesley Long<\/span><\/a>, MD, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pathology and Genomic Medicine at Houston Methodist. He recommends skipping traditional trick-or-treating. \u201cConsider that you\u2019re moving from house to house in a group, typically, interacting with household members at each house and receiving items from them that you\u2019re commingling in a bag.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Along with trick-or-treating, it\u2019s also important to be aware of the risks of holding or attending a large Halloween party this year. <\/span>Rajeev Fernando, MD<\/span><\/a>, an infectious disease physician based in New York, has a recommendation: \u201cUnless it’s within a household, I would skip the indoor Halloween party,\u201d he says, adding, \u201cWe know COVID-19 can spread effectively with crowding in closed spaces. Have a virtual party instead.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

What are some Halloween coronavirus-safe activities?<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

The lower risk activities listed by the CDC demonstrate that if you get creative, Halloween 2020 can still be a fun and memorable experience while keeping everyone safe. Some ideas include:<\/span><\/p>\n