SAN DIEGO — While it may seem more of a "trick" than a "treat" for some, California's top health officials Tuesday issued some strict guidance on Halloween this year, strongly urging families to avoid going door to door for trick-or-treating, and instead recommending at-home or virtual celebrations.
The state's top doctor is recommending that families pass this year on traditional trick-or-treating, pointing out that if a positive COVID-19 case is discovered post-Halloween, it could be extremely challenging to carry out contact tracing to alert anyone who may have been exposed
"We suggest that families should plan on safer alternatives," said California Health Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly.
While it may garner some "boo's" from your kids, Dr. Ghaly outlined the state's guidance on having a safe Halloween in this year of coronavirus, starting with no door-to-door trick-or-treating.
"The whole idea of going door to door in groups, ringing doorbells, digging into buckets of delicious candy, creates a risk of spreading COVID-19," Dr. Ghaly said.
Instead, he strongly recommends this year creatively celebrating at home or even virtually, such as with an online costume or pumpkin-carving contest organized with other families via Zoom, or perhaps even a car ride.
"Maybe a drive-in scary movie or a tour of Halloween displays in your neighborhood in your car," Dr. Ghaly suggested.
While the state is strongly encouraging families to essentially stay home, some Californians are coming up with creative ways to have some form of Halloween in a socially distanced way.
"It can be safe: it just has to be done with care," said San Diegan Maria Neuland, owner of the costume company Seeing Red Inc.
Neualnd has come up with a way of avoiding going door to door, but still offering "contact-less" trick-or-treating for kids.
"Identify your yard as a safe place so that people know you prepared candy with care," she explains in a YouTube video.
Using signage to direct the flow of traffic into and out of your yard and to keep groups socially distanced, Neuland recommends individually packaging the treats and offering them in a display in your front yard, from a simple table to a more elaborate graveyard or even a "pumpkin porch."
"So that when the kids come to the house they can literally just grab what they need and go, and they are not intermingling," she added. "It is not in a bowl where you have multiple hands. We are avoiding that at all costs."
For more tips on how to have a safe -- and fun -- Halloween, click here.
The County of San Diego also offered its own guidance on Halloween:
Door-to-door trick-or-treating is one of the most popular Halloween activities, but it, along with trunk-or-treating, or leaving bowls of candy for others to grab, is not advisable: too hard to maintain proper social distancing. Instead, consider “one-way trick-or-treating,” where individually wrapped goodie bags are lined up outdoors, allowing families to grab them while practicing social distancing.
Gatherings of any size are not permissible under current public health orders so you should avoid in-person costume parties. Instead, get your friends and family together for a virtual costume party and vote for the best costumes from the comfort of your own couch.
Haunted houses are also not recommended because they often put crowds into tight, poorly ventilated areas. Instead, the County Health & Human Services Agency recommends dressing up your own home or yard with Halloween-themed decorations and taking a stroll or drive around your neighborhood to enjoy the spooky decor.
Other safe ways to celebrate Halloween and the fall season include:
- Attending a drive-through Halloween event or car parade.
- Watching a spooky movie with your household members, either at home or at a drive-in theater.
- Carving pumpkins with members of your own household.
- Making fall recipes and crafts as a family.
However you celebrate, please follow the established safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This includes wearing a face covering, maintaining physical distance, washing your hands, and staying home when you feel ill.