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Halloween is just around the corner, but thanks to COVID, the traditions of everyone’s favorite spooky holiday are off limits this year.
O.K., so, we aren’t able to host crowded costume parties or have crowds attend the haunted houses people have traditionally set up in their backyards, but can we do anything fun on Halloween this year? What about trick-or-treating, kids’ and, let’s be honest, most of adults’ favorite part of Halloween?
Unfortunately, with the ongoing pandemic, it is a bit more risky than ever before. Each state has put COVID related safety guidelines in place and it is important we stay vigilant especially with all of the Halloween related activities that traditionally occur in the month of October.
While we all know the way COVID is spread via contaminated surfaces (such as candy), per CDC, the greatest risk comes from close proximity to people who exhale infectious droplets. We also know that outdoor activities are far less risky than the ones indoors. Fortunately, trick-or-treating is an outdoor activity and, as long as parents stay vigilant and don’t allow large groups of children and adults to congregate in the small area, kids can still enjoy this time honored tradition.
The ALS team loves Halloween and, we have been looking forward to all of the activities associated with it. With that in mind, we came up with a list of some things families can do to minimize the risk (let’s face it, risk is what we always think about in all situations) and we wanted to share them with our audience:
- Put a trick-or-treat table in the driveway and lay out individual gift bags or cups for the kids to take.
- Leave a bowl of candy outside for trick-or-treaters and put a hand sanitizer station next to it with a note asking everyone to sanitize their hands before reaching into the bowl.
- Scatter candy around the front yard for trick-or-treaters to pick up. They can be set up as gravestones in a cemetery in the spirit of Halloween.
- Get together with your neighbors and make a socially distanced Halloween candy hunt (sort of an Easter egg hunt, but with a Halloween twist).
- You can also skip trick-or-treating altogether and instead organize an in-person candy swap with any families who are within the same coronavirus “bubble”.
If you do decide to skip trick-or-treating you can still do some Halloween activities that are fun and low risk:
- Carving or decorating pumpkins with members of your household and displaying them
- Carving or decorating pumpkins outside, at a safe distance, with neighbors or friends.
- Decorating your house, apartment, or living space.
- Doing a Halloween scavenger hunt where children are given lists of Halloween-themed things to look for while they walk outdoors.
- Having a virtual Halloween costume contest.
- Having a Halloween movie night with people who live in the same household.
Even though Halloween looks different this year, one risk remains the same – eating too much candy, whether you are enticed by those enormous displays of candy strategically placed right at the entrance to the supermarket; or are simply trying to “protect” your child from illnesses associated with eating too much sugar and end up eating the candy that they bring in from trick-or-treating.
With all the change in 2020, the true meaning of any holiday still applies. Celebrate with (virtually or otherwise) the people whom you are closest to and enjoy the time you spend together making memories to last a lifetime!
However you decide to celebrate Halloween, stay safe and well!
If you need more information on any of the topics covered in this blog, need help with any risk related issues, or are interested in a Risk Management Assessment (“RMA”) please contact Albert Sica, Managing Principal, at 732.395.4251 or asica@thealsgroup.com.