How do you celebrate Halloween during coronavirus? SLO County health officials share tips
Halloween is a time of ghosts and ghouls, but what’s scaring local health officials this year is the potential for increased coronavirus spread.
Halloween traditions frequently involve the mixing of households as friends and family gather for parties and trick-or-treat at houses throughout the community. Those activities are all discouraged this year due to COVID-19, according to the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department.
Although trick-or-treaters often wear masks as part of their costumes, health officials said costume masks are not enough.
On Friday, the county Public Health Department released guidance on how to celebrate while reducing the risk of the spread of COVID-19. The agency urges residents to:
- Limit contact when passing out treats.
- Leave a bowl of pre-packaged, individual treats on your doorstep for trick-or-treaters to take without people needing to knock on the door door.
- Maintain physical distance by giving out prepackaged treats using a “reacher” or “grabber” arm extension tool, a small zipline or a small slide.
- Treats should be commercially packaged, non-perishable treats.
- People who prepare goodie bags, should wash thier hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after preparing the bags
- Wear a costume with a cloth face covering or wear a face covering when someone comes to your door. A costume mask is not a substitute for a cloth face covering.
- Do not share food or drinks.
- Only trick-or-treat with immediate family members or one or two other people in your “social bubble.”
- Avoid gathering in large groups.
“We can still enjoy Halloween and prevent outbreaks of COVID-19 in our communities,” county Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said in a news release Friday.
Online parties and costume contests, drive-through parades and drive-in movie theaters were suggested alternatives to trick-or-treating, according to the release.
The county also recommended people follow additional guidance issued by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the county, carnivals, festivals, live entertainment, indoor or outdoor haunted houses and in-person parties will not be permitted given the high risks of COVID-19 spread.
This story was originally published October 2, 2020 at 5:33 PM.
