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The leaves are changing and beginning to fall. All that beautiful foliage means Halloween is approaching. 2020 is not a typical year, however, and the global COVID-19 pandemic has many parents questioning how to celebrate the haunting holiday while keeping up with the social distancing and hygiene measures necessary to help keep their families (and everyone else) safe.

Halloween may look a little different this year, but it’s not canceled! With some creativity, and modifications in our behavior, celebrating this spooky end to October can be both fun and safe.

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CDC guidelines for Halloween 2020

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released guidelines, or considerations as they call it, for holiday celebrations during the pandemic. These are meant to supplement, not replace, any local health and safety laws, rules, and regulations. The CDC recommends taking factors into consideration when planning any holiday activities including community levels of COVID-19, location and duration of gatherings, as well as the size of gatherings. In general, outdoor activities pose less risk than indoor, and the more people in a gathering—the greater the risk of spreading the virus. Traditional Halloween activities are given a ranking from lower, moderate, to higher risk for spreading the virus that causes COVID-19.

Unfortunately, traditional trick-or-treating (and trunk-or-treating) activities are listed as a “higher risk” by the CDC, along with attending crowded haunted houses or costume parties indoors.

“Approaching Halloween during COVID-19 is tricky this year,” explains Wesley Long, MD, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pathology and Genomic Medicine at Houston Methodist. He recommends skipping traditional trick-or-treating. “Consider that you’re moving from house to house in a group, typically, interacting with household members at each house and receiving items from them that you’re commingling in a bag.”

Along with trick-or-treating, it’s also important to be aware of the risks of holding or attending a large Halloween party this year. Rajeev Fernando, MD, an infectious disease physician based in New York, has a recommendation: “Unless it’s within a household, I would skip the indoor Halloween party,” he says, adding, “We know COVID-19 can spread effectively with crowding in closed spaces. Have a virtual party instead.”

What are some Halloween coronavirus-safe activities?

The lower risk activities listed by the CDC demonstrate that if you get creative, Halloween 2020 can still be a fun and memorable experience while keeping everyone safe. Some ideas include:

Carving and decorating jack-o-lanterns with family members, or with friends and neighbors outside and at a safe distance
Having kids do a scavenger hunt to find Halloween-themed items around the neighborhood while also admiring other’s Halloween decorations and/or having a trick-or-treat style scavenger hunt at home rather than going from door to door
Having a virtual Halloween costume contest over Zoom
Watching a Halloween movie with those you live with

This year has demonstrated that sometimes you have to make your own fun from home. This year may be the perfect time to go all-out with the Halloween decorations, crafting, and baking as opposed to gathering in large numbers.

The American Academy of Pediatrics provides some guidance for Halloween and offers fun, safer alternatives. Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) also has tips for a safe and healthy Halloween here.

Is there a way to trick-or-treat safely?

This pandemic is new territory for all of us, and it is ultimately up to parents to navigate the decisions on how to celebrate Halloween (and other holidays) using their best judgement. The CDC includes some “moderate risk” Halloween festivities to help families make these decisions:

Having a small group, outdoor, open-air costume parade where people are distanced more than 6 feet apart.
Visiting pumpkin patches or orchards where wearing face masks is encouraged or enforced, social distancing is maintained, and where people use hand sanitizer before touching pumpkins or picking apples.
Modified trick-or-treating where individually wrapped goodie bags are lined up for families to grab and go. Handwashing is important when preparing goodie bags.
Outdoor Halloween Movie Night with local family friends where social distancing is maintained.

If you decide to try modified trick-or-treating, “wear a protective mask over costume, social distance and hand sanitize at least every time one receives treats,” Dr. Fernando says. “Parents can also ask the neighbors to leave candy at the doorstep thereby minimizing contact.”

It’s also important to pick the right mask for a costume. “Traditional masks made of plastic that sit away from the face likely offer little protection and can sometimes cause difficulty with peripheral vision,” Dr. Long says. “I’d recommend getting a cloth mask that matches the theme of the costume—it’s the perfect time of year for it,” he adds.

Even with modified trick-or-treating it may be a good idea to stick to a few houses in your neighborhood, rather than a race to collect as many treats as possible. Be sure to avoid indoor events, including haunted houses.

Consider high-risk groups

When making holiday plans, it’s important to keep in mind any higher risk individuals in your social circle that could be exposed. “Just remember, if you have a high risk person in your household or in your “social bubble” you need to be even more cautious. Focus on small, household based celebrations of the holiday, rather than trick or treating or attending parties or large gatherings,” recommends Dr. Long.

Halloween 2020 may look a little different this year, but if we all do our part and make some small changes to prevent the spread of COVID-19—it doesn’t have to be (too) scary.