With temperatures getting a bit friendlier for Saturday’s Halloween ghosting about, the continuing COVID-19 monster is putting a damper on plans for the night’s festivities. Parents and residents are in a quandary on how to proceed. They don’t want to disappoint munchkins, who have had their lives turned upside down in the past seven months. But neither do they want to expose them to potential threats.
Due to the current Red Level status, Dallas County officials have issued their recommendations on the dos and don’ts for this Saturday. The don’ts include the following
- Indoor Halloween gathering events or parties with non-household members.
- Outdoor events like carnivals, festivals, live entertainment and haunted houses. Public outdoor gatherings should be restricted to fewer than ten people and require physical distancing of at least six feet between people and the use of facial coverings.
- Door-to-Door trick or treating because “it is difficult to maintain proper physical distancing on porches and at front doors, and sharing food is risky whether reaching into a share candy bowl or being given candy by hand.” If you’re not going to throw out the welcome mat for treats, turn your lights off just before the sun sets at 6:36 p.m. And you might want to post a note saying that due to COVID-19, you won’t be able to treat this year.
- Trunk or Treat events “where children go from car-to-car instead of door-to-door to receive treats. Even though it is outside, it is difficult to avoid crowding and contamination in candy bowls.”
On the other hand, the officials have provided suggestions on how to still celebrate this spooky Saturday safely with the following recommendations:
- Online parties/contests such as costume or pumpkin carving.
- Car parades where individuals do not congregate outside vehicles. Individuals in vehicles should be within households.
- Halloween movie nights at home or drive-in theaters, which must comply with the public health drive-in movie theater guidance.
- Halloween-themed meals at home or outdoor seating at restaurants that comply with the safety protocols such as universal masking, physical distancing between parties/tables.
- Dressing up homes and yards with Halloween-themed decorations.
- Scavenger hunt style candy searches around your home or yard with household members.
Other possible ideas:
- Take the kids outside to see the first blue moon since March 2018. It will be rising at 6:57 p.m. The Farmers’ Almanac reports that “it’s also the first time a Halloween full moon has appeared for all time zones since 1944.” The next Halloween Blue Moon won’t take place until 2039.
- If you have a photographer in the neighborhood, see if they’ll do porch photos of families in their costumes.
- And don’t forget to take your own photos of your household ghouls and goblins for sharing with others online.