One of my favorite holidays of the year is Halloween. It’s that time of the year where children can dress up in whatever costume they want and go out trick-or-treating with their friends and family. I mean, come on. Who does not like dressing up and getting free candy? The only problem is that this year will not be the same. With COVID-19 still being a huge issue across the world, people may be wondering what is going to happen with Halloween this year? This holiday’s activities can be very high-risk for spreading the virus. Here are some suggestions you can do in order to still have fun and stay safe this year.

Pumpkin decorating and carving is a classic tradition that many people love to do with others around this time of year. This can still be a safe and fun activity for you and your friends to do together, so long as you keep a safe distance from each other. Also, if you share tools and supplies with one another, be sure to wash your hands afterwards. The virus, along with other germs, can be spread very easily this way, so disinfecting the items after using them would be beneficial as well.

Another activity that can be done safely is watching a Halloween movie. This will allow you to still meet up with your friends, but in a way that is safe for all of you. You all can meet up in the backyard of one of your houses and use a home theater projector to display the movie on a wall or other flat area. Some classic Halloween movies you can watch are The Nightmare Before Christmas, Hocus Pocus, and Halloween. Be sure to stay a safe distance away from each other and to wear a mask.

Trick-or-treating is one of the most common activities people participate in on the night of Halloween. In the past, children would walk around their neighborhoods, going from door to door to get some candy. Unfortunately, this does not seem like such a good idea for this year due to COVID-19. There has been the idea that this year, people will be doing a one way candy pickup system. This is where kids will be able to go around their block to visit houses, but they will not go to people’s doors to get their candy. Instead, children will approach a table on the people’s front lawns or driveways, get a squirt of hand, and finally take a piece of candy from a bowl. Although people are expected to continue social distancing and wear a mask, there are still many risks to participating in this type of trick-or-treating. Personally, I believe that safer and simpler Halloween activities can be tolerated for a year if it will help ensure the safety of ourselves and our loved ones.

If you plan on actually taking part in any activities with others, be sure to take extra precautions so that you can stay safe. Remember to wear a mask, keep distance between yourself and others, and wash your hands if you touch anything that is not yours. It is also good to have a small container of hand sanitizer with you wherever you go just in case you need it. You can never be too careful.