CDC discourages Halloween trick-or-treating due to COVID-19
NEW YORK - It's bad news for the kids. New guidance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is discouraging Halloween trick-or-treating as a "high-risk" activity for spreading viruses.
The CDC says many traditional Halloween activities can be high-risk during the coronavirus pandemic according to guidance published on Monday evening.
They including traditional trick-or-treating where treats are handed to children who go door-to-door, having trunk-or-treat where treats are handed out from trunks of cars lined up in parking lots, and attending crowded costume parties held indoors.
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The CDC also says indoor haunted houses and hayrides are also high-risk activities.
The health agency says there are several safer, alternative ways to participate in Halloween.
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These lower-risk activities can be safe alternatives:
- Carving or decorating pumpkins with members of your household and displaying them
- Carving or decorating pumpkins outside, at a safe distance, with neighbors or friends
- Decorating your house, apartment, or living space
- Doing a Halloween scavenger hunt where children are given lists of Halloween-themed things to look for while they walk outdoors from house to house admiring Halloween decorations at a distance
- Having a virtual Halloween costume contest
- Having a Halloween movie night with people you live with
- Having a scavenger hunt-style trick-or-treat search with your household members in or around your home rather than going house to house