How to Have Loads of Halloween Fun without Trick-or-Treating ~ Don Koonce

With new Halloween guidelines just issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showing that door-to-door trick-or-treating, indoor haunted houses, costume parties and “trunk or treating,” where children go from car to car to receive treats, are considered “higher risk activities” that should be avoided this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, here are 7 ways to have loads of Halloween fun without risking exposure.

pumpkin carving
decorating your house
hosting a virtual costume contest
having an outdoors Halloween scavenger hunt and having a “scavenger hunt-style trick-or-treat search” indoors with members of your household
small, outdoor costume parades
outdoor Halloween movie nights where attendees are spaced at least six feet apart
participating in one-way trick-or-treating that includes individually wrapped treats and social distancing

Masks:

While masks are a Halloween staple, a costume mask is not a substitute for the types of cloth face masks that protect people from the virus, according to the CDC.
People should also not wear a costume mask over a protective cloth mask because of possible breathing difficulties, warns the CDC.

Screaming:

Because COVID-19 is spread through particles in the air, the CDC has issued a special warning for another staple of Halloween festivities: Screaming.

“If screaming will likely occur, greater [social] distancing is advised,” the CDC advises. “The greater the distance, the lower the risk of spreading a respiratory virus.”