Montgomery County Offers Advice On Staying Safe During Halloween

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD – Montgomery County officials are offering advice to resident on how to minimize risk and exposure to the coronavirus during Halloween.

County officials are not recommending kids and families participate in traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating, because of the inability to maintain proper physical distancing. Sharing food through "trunk-or-treating" is also not recommended.

The county's current executive order bans activities that involve groups of people larger than 50, so large Halloween gatherings, even if outdoors, are not permitted, officials said.

The county is recommending the following alternative ways to celebrate Halloween this year:

• Host online costume or pumpkin carving parties and contests
• Decorate homes, yards and neighborhoods with Halloween-themed decorations
• Hold car parades, such as drive-by events or contest where people dress up or decorate their cars or drive-through events where people stay in their cars and drive through an area with Halloween displays. Participants can receive a treat bag (limited to commercially packaged nonperishable treats) from an organizer while people remain in their cars.
• Halloween movie nights at drive-in theaters
• Halloween-themed meals at outdoor restaurants
• Halloween-themed art installations at an outdoor museum

To stay safe, officials recommend:

• Correctly wearing a cloth face covering
• Avoiding confined spaces
• Avoiding close contact
• Following safe practices while shopping in stores
• Washing and sanitizing hands often