By Anna Zhang
How will Halloween be celebrated this year? What will the protocols be? What should I do to be safe, but also have fun?
Halloween is a passionate and beloved holiday that has stretched on for centuries. People tend to wear creepy and fun costumes, going around demanding candy from the doors of haunted houses. Widely celebrated across America, this holiday is considered by many the best holiday there is; infinite candy, insane parties, astonishing costumes, and the ability to express yourself in ways you never could before!
But that all changed when the pandemic hit. Last year, 2020, the increasing Covid numbers understandably deterred parents from letting their children out of the house in fear of catching the disease; Halloween parties were canceled or not even planned in the first place; collabs between friends had to be reduced in numbers; and many houses didn’t hand out candy, making it hard for trick-or-treaters to find a house that they could get candy from. All these impediments made the thrill of Halloween go down, robbing children of their well-earned Halloween.
But this year, things have changed.
Covid-19 and delta variant cases are rising and dropping, but are relatively low. The vaccines have come out, and masks are no longer required. This change has left many options and opportunities for people who desperately want to celebrate Halloween properly. But with these relaxed rules and requirements, how safe will Halloween be this year?
From professionals at Cincinnati Hospitals, they say that it’s relatively safe.
Here’s a list of suggestions given by them and many others:
- It is best to wear masks, but there is no definite need for it if kids are outside
- Giving out candy should be through baskets/bowls where the candy is given to the trick-or-treaters as opposed to them taking it out, reducing the number of hands touching the containers.
- Creating a chute to slide candy down it was a pretty popular method last year, but does not need to be replicated
- Giving bags of candy out instead of individual candies
- Kids should still say socially distanced if they can, and vaccination would definitely be a great advantage
- Parties would be discouraged, but as long as many of the participants are vaccinated and wear masks (or are outside), it’s relatively safe
- Eating candy would require the washing of hands and no sharing
- Candy wrappers do not need to be washed because Covid-19 has a hard time living on surfaces, although a light rinse may be beneficial
All in all, it’s safe to say that teens can go trick-or-treating almost as normally as any other year.
Yay!
So don’t be afraid to pop on that costume and have fun! Whether it be an anime, American girl doll, or your favorite tv show character; parties, sleepovers, movies, or trick-or-treating; you can finally have a proper Halloween.
Sources:
HB IN RETROSPECT 