With Halloween right around the corner, the Wake County Public Health Division is releasing guidance to help prevent the public from contracting and spreading COVID-19 as they enjoy the spooky festivities.
“We strongly recommend people take extra precautions this year, if they plan to take part in traditional Halloween activities like trick-or-treating,” said Dr. Nicole Mushonga, associate medical director and Epidemiology Program director for Wake County. “We don’t want to people to be afraid to have fun, but we do want them to be aware of the activities that will increase their risk of contracting COVID-19.”
Traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating with children grabbing candy from a shared bowl is strongly discouraged this year. It’s considered a high-risk activity by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you do decide to go trick-or-treating, you’re advised to only go with your household family group.
If a crowd forms in front of a house, trick-or-treaters are advised to skip that house. Wake County Public Health officials stress that you should stay socially distanced from those you don’t live with.
They also remind trick-or-treaters that they must wear face coverings or cloth masks with their costumes, and most Halloween masks won’t meet state health guidelines. They recommend incorporating your face covering into your costume.
Wake County Public Health also advises that if you choose to hand out treats, you should do it outside, perhaps with a station set up at the end of your driveway with individually bagged or packaged treats for kids to take. If you are setting up a grab-and-go station, it’s best to place it six feet from your front door.
Don’t trick-or-treat or leave out candy if you are:
- Sick or live with someone who is sick;
- Have been exposed to someone known to have COVID-19 in the past 14 days; or
- Are under isolation or quarantine.
Also, do not host or attend a party or any type of event, if it is over the 25-person indoor or the 50-person outdoor mass gathering limits in North Carolina. If you do go to an event and see a large crowd not social distancing or people not wearing face coverings, you should leave.
Trunk-or-treat events, where large groups gather in parking lots and move from car to car, are discouraged, because they are considered a high-risk activity. Instead, opt for drive-thru, contact-free treat giveaways in a parking lot with volunteers handing out candy and wearing cloth face coverings. For great suggestions on alternative ways to celebrate Halloween safely, visit our COVID-19 website.
