Halloween can be fun AND safe! Get creative to celebrate the holiday while preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Halloween is just around the corner! As you’re putting up decorations and picking out Halloween candy, it’s important to plan how you and your family will celebrate the holiday safely. COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the US, and families will need to get creative to celebrate Halloween without putting themselves or others at risk.

While risk can’t be avoided completely, we can take steps to ensure we are minimizing risk as much as possible. Here are some ideas for fun and safe alternatives to trick-or-treating:

    • Hide Halloween candy or small treats around your home or backyard and send kids on a Halloween candy hunt!
    • Start a new family tradition of having a spooky Halloween dinner together. Have kids get involved in cooking or setting the table as appropriate.
    • Carve or decorate pumpkins with friends or neighbors at a safe distance outside, and show off your creative designs.
    • Get crafty with your kids and create fun and festive Halloween decorations for your home.
    • Host a virtual costume contest with other families or relatives so kids can show off their costumes!
    • Create a scavenger hunt for Halloween- or fall-themed items around your neighborhood. Walk around as a family and point out fun decorations or pretty fall leaves.

    • Queue up a Halloween movie night at home. Make it special with themed snacks and drinks, or build a comfy fort together with blankets and pillows.
Be sure to check your local health guidelines for more information on what activities are currently allowed in your area.

If you do decide to go trick-or-treating, it is important to avoid going door-to-door to multiple households, where it can be difficult to socially distance and the risk of exposure is higher. Instead, limit your area to a friend’s house or other small, familiar area to stay safer.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stress the importance of wearing protective masks whenever you are in the presence of others. When trick-or-treating, ensure that everyone in the family is wearing a cloth or surgical mask (not just a costume mask). Do not have children wear a costume mask over a cloth or surgical mask as this can make it hard for them to breathe.

After returning home from trick-or-treating, have the entire family wash hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds and lay out collected candy on a clean surface for a few hours to allow time for any virus on the candy to die.

From all of us at Kids’ Turn San Diego, we wish you a fun and safe Halloween!

Source: Kaiser Permanente
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