HALLOWEEN 2020

From trick or treating to apple bobbing, the traditions of 31 October aren’t things you would immediately consider to be “Covid-safe”. So does that mean Halloween is cancelled this year?

Not necessarily – if you’re doing something that increases your contacts with other people then you are automatically increasing their risk and your risk, but by taking precautions, it is still possible to enjoy Halloween safely.

That means observing social distancing with people outside your household, standing well back when knocking on any doors and always keeping your hands clean using sanitiser.
Because it’s Halloween, people are quite likely to be wearing a mask anyway so if you can make a face covering work its way into your costume then even better.
Avoid elderly or vulnerable neighbours and perhaps agreeing with houses in advance that they are happy for you to visit for trick or treating.
The rule of six applies, so make sure if you do go Trick or Treating, you have no more than six in your group.
There’s also the issue of how to give/receive a treat;- If everyone’s scrabbling round in a bucket full of sweets and they touch all of them then there’s a risk of transmission. Covid-19 can be spread by touching surfaces contaminated with the virus, as well as through droplets breathed in. So if unwrapped sweets are left in a bucket for children to rummage in, with multiple hands touching the treats, there is a risk the virus could spread from fingers to mouths
To reduce this risk, give out individually wrapped sweets so children aren’t touching something they then put straight in their mouths. Safer still, you could leave sweets outside the door for people to help themselves or even tie individual bags of sweets to a fence or tree.

Five alternative things to do this Halloween

Organise a Halloween treasure hunt within your own household
Host a virtual party with themed games and music
Watch a scary movie with the family
Decorate your own house and organise a spooky trail, avoiding face-to-face contact