Tips for keeping Halloween spooky while staying safe

Halloween is an annual observance of which fear is a normal part. Every October, just before the month ends, participants often dress up in ghoulish costumes and take pleasure in startling others and even being a little frightened themselves. It all comes with the territory, and it’s all done in fun. But due to COVID-19, the fright that might loom this year is vastly different than that in years past. Because of that, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released some information in hopes of taking some of the coronavirus-related fear out of this year’s Halloween festivities.

Among the recommendations given by the CDC are the following:

•Avoid direct contact with trick-or-treaters.

•Give out treats outdoors, if possible.

•Set up a station with individually bagged treats for kids to take.

•Wash hands before handling treats.

•Wear a mask.

And speaking of mask-wearing; here are some CDC tips regarding that as well.

•Make your cloth mask a part of your costume.

•A costume mask is NOT a substitute for a cloth mask.

•Do NOT wear a costume mask over a cloth mask. It can make breathing more difficult.

•Masks should NOT be worn by children under the age of two or anyone who has trouble breathing.

During trick or treat activities, participants are instructed to stay at least six feet from others who don’t live in the same household with them. And although people tend to feel a sense of heightened safety during outdoor activities, it’s a fact that whether indoors or outdoors, COVID-19 is more likely contracted or spread when people are in close contact with others.

Don’t forget the hand sanitizer! Bring it with you and use it after touching objects or other people. Use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol content, and parents/guardians should be on hand to supervise younger children with using hand sanitizer. After you get home and before consuming any of the collected treats, the CDC advises that hands are thoroughly washed with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

A few proposed family activities that can allow for holiday enjoyment with less person-to-person contact with others are:

•Decorate your home for Halloween as a fun family project.

•Carve pumpkins with members of your household or outside with neighbors or friends (while social distancing).

•Walk from house to house, admiring Halloween decorations at a distance.

•Have an outdoor Halloween themed scavenger hunt.

•Go to a one-way walk-thru haunted forest or corn maze.

These tips and suggestions may make for a different kind of Halloween this year, but they could be lots of fun and can go a long way to making the day less scary for trick or treaters, even during a pandemic like COVID-19.

All around Houston County, our cities are individually and collectively encouraging citizens to make this holiday as safe as possible. Centerville, Perry and Warner Robins will observe trick or treating on October 31 between the hours of 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Each city is encouraging citizens to adhere to CDC guidelines.

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