Here Are The Dos And Don'ts Of A Pandemic Halloween

PIERCE COUNTY, WA — This Halloween is likely to look pretty different from those in years past. While the state has had some success flattening the curve of new coronavirus infections over the past months, many restrictions remain in place and health officials continue to warn residents that the virus must be treated as a serious threat.

As we approach the holiday, the Tacoma - Pierce County Health Department warns: many Halloween staples may not be safe this year.

"The threat of COVID-19 is still here," writes Lori Karnes, Pierce County Health Department Environmental Health Specialist. "But you can still do the things you enjoy. Just do them a little differently."

With that in mind here is some guidance from the county on what is and isn't acceptable this year.

High Risk Activities

• Door to door trick-or-treating.
• Trunk-or-treating, when children gather candy from cars in parking lots.
• Indoor parties, especially crowded parties.
• Indoor haunted houses.
• Hayrides with people who are not from your household.
• Long distance travel outside your community to attend Halloween or fall events.

Moderate Risk Activities

• Trick-or-treating at a distance, with extra safety precautions like frequent hand washing.
  • The health department warns that costume masks should not be worn over facial coverings or protective masks, because they could make it difficult for kids to breathe.
• A small costume parade, held outdoors and in an open space with adequate social distancing.
• A small outdoor costume party with five or fewer guests, protective masks and physical distancing.
• An outdoor haunted house with one-way foot traffic and mask requirements.
  • If the haunted house is really scary, increase social distancing as screaming can help spread the virus.
• Visiting a pumpkin patch, as long as the patch encourages mask use and social distancing. Use hand sanitizer before touching any of the pumpkins.
• An outdoor movie night with a small group and adequate space for physical distancing.
  • As with the haunted house, if there's like to be screaming involved, add extra physical space.

That's a lot of activities that normally we would take for granted, but there are still festivities that are safe for everyone this holiday season.

"We want your Halloween to be as fun and scary as you want. But we don’t want it to be scary because of COVID-19," writes Karnes.

Low Risk Activities

• Carving a pumpkin. You can do this any time and alone, but if you're with friends do it outdoors and with a lot of physical space.
• Decorating your own home.
• Consider a Halloween scavenger hunt: you can hide treats inside your home for your own children to find, or have kids search the neighborhood for decorations.
• Make and wear a festive facial covering instead of a mask.
• Host an online costume contest or parade.
• Watch a movie with friends online over Zoom or another online meeting program.

Finally, the county asks that everyone continue to follow the overarching coronavirus pandemic guidance, like wearing a facial covering or mask in public spaces, frequently washing your hands, getting tested if you have coronavirus symptoms and isolating or entering quarantine if you have or were exposed to the coronavirus.

Read the full guidance on the Tacoma - Pierce County Health Department's blog.