SCARY TIMES
Will COVID-19 cancel trick-or-treat tradition this year?
NORRISTOWN » With the spooky Halloween holiday just days away and the coronavirus pandemic already causing enough fear and unease, health officials are recommending safer, alternative ways to participate in the holiday.
“We’ve been getting a lot of questions about Halloween and we want to make sure that kids and their families can have a safe and fun Halloween,” county Commissioners’ Chairwoman Dr. Valerie Arkoosh said this week, adding many traditional Halloween activities can be high-risk for spreading the virus.
PottstownMayor Stephanie
Henrick said this week that Trick-or-Treat will occur in the borough between 6 and 8 p.m. Oct. 31 and she urged everyone to conduct themselves safely in terms of coronavirus protocols.
County officials, echoing recommendations made by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said those who have COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone with the virus should not participate in in-person Halloween festivities and should not distribute candy to trickor-treaters.
If you are sick with COVID-19 like symptoms (fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or
smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea) or are under isolation or quarantine, “Stay home!” officials emphasized.
“One key recommendation is to do one thing differently for sure, than what we would normally do, which is to limit contact with commonly-touched surfaces or shared items. So, we are recommending that trick-or-treaters do not grab candy froma bowl that every child is reaching into,” said Arkoosh, who as a physician has been at the forefront of the county’s efforts to combat COVID-19 and provide citizens with the latest information regarding the outbreak.
“We’re recommending to use a grab-and-go method, which includes individually wrapped bags of candy or treats,” Arkoosh added.
If you are preparing goodie bags, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after preparing the bags, according to the CDC guidelines.
Health officials urged residents to continue to abide by all 6-feet social distancing and handwashing recommendations and to clean and disinfect commonly touched surfaces and shared items between uses and to wear a face covering while participating in Halloween
activities.
A facemask or face shield should be worn at all times. Do not use a Halloween costume mask as a substitute for a cloth mask unless it is made of two or more layers of breathable fabric that covers your mouth and nose and doesn’t leave gaps around your face, county health officials advised.
The CDC added residents should not wear a costume mask over a protective cloth mask because it can be dangerous if the costume mask makes it hard to breathe. Instead, consider using a Halloween-themed cloth mask.
Trick-or-Treating routes should be one way. Have trick-or-treaters go in one direction up and down the streets to limit exposure to other groups of individuals, health officials said.
Any public or private mass gatherings including parades, haunted houses and costume parties should follow guidance for indoor and outdoor gatherings set by the county Office of Public Health. If screaming will likely occur, greater distancing is advised. The greater the distance, the lower the risk of spreading a respiratory virus, health officials advised.
Arkoosh urged those thinking about planning a larger Halloween event or a trunk-or-treat event to submit a health and safety plan for review and approval by the county Office of Public Health. Plans should be emailed to MontCoHalloween@montcopa.org
“Particularly, if you are planning an event, if you just run the details of that event by our Office of Public Health they’ll be happy to assist you and make sure your event is as safe as possible,” said Arkoosh, a graduate of the University of Nebraska College of Medicine who also has a master’s degree in public health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of PublicHealth.
The CDC has provided guidance, identifying Halloween activities that are low-, moderate- or high-risk for COVID-19.
“TheMontgomery County Office of Public Health has reviewed these guidelines and offered some great ideas for activities that are fun and safe,” Arkoosh said.
More specific information, including a fun video depicting safe Halloween options, can be found online at www.montcopa.org/ HalloweenGuidance
“Please be sure to watch the video. It’s really great. It will give you a lot of really good ideas,” Arkoosh said.
County health officials recommend the following safe, alternative Halloween activities:
• A Candy Graveyard - Set up fake tombstones in your yard with prizes and candy piled up next to each tombstone. You could have each child enter the graveyard one at a time. Candy and prizes should be packaged in individual treat bags for extra safety.
• Reverse Trick or Treating - People drive by houses similar to the COVID-19 birthday parades. Those in the car can throw candy or deliver it to the kids in costumes in their yards.
• Handing Out CandyDecorate tables or booths in front yards where individual bags or cups of candy can be handed out. Invent and build candy chutes for contactless trick-or-treating. Hang candy from the fence for children to grab as they pass.
• Social Distance Costume Bicycle Parade - Costume wearers take to the streets as a catwalk to show off their costumes, hand out, and collect candy. People can also decorate bikes, wagons, golf carts and cars to show off their looks!
• Boo or Ghost People - Dropping a Halloween goodie bag or pumpkin on the doorsteps of friends and loved ones as a contactfree way to celebrate. This usually works by sneaking to your “booing” subjects’ home after dark, ringing the doorbell, leaving the treats on their doorstep and running!
• Glow-in-the-Dark Egg Hunt - Egg hunts aren’t just for Easter. Buy Halloweenthemed eggs or decorate plastic eggs you already own (glow sticks work, too) with Halloween-related stickers or markers. Add candy and hide them in the yard or around the house.
• Pumpkin Carving - 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.