The Moore County Health Department has issued a trick-or-treating guide during COVID-19. The department is recommending “alternative Halloween activities this year, instead of attending large gatherings or doing traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating.”

“There are safe ways to celebrate Halloween and minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission,” says Health Director Robert Wittmann. “Most importantly, we should all keep doing what we have been doing by avoiding large gatherings, keeping a distance of six feet from others, wearing cloth face coverings, and washing our hands often.”

Safe Trick-or-Treating:

• Encourage no or low touch trick-or-treating.

• Line up individually wrapped goodie bags for families to grab and go while continuing to social distance (such as at the end of a driveway or at the edge of a yard).

• If you are preparing goodie bags, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after preparing the bags.

• Place individual pieces of candy spaced out on a table for families/children to take themselves

• Gently toss candy to trick or treaters from 6 feet away.

• Use a “candy chute” or tube to pass along candy from the porch to trick or treaters standing 6 feet away.

• Try “reverse” trick or treat where children dress in their costumes and stay at their house or front yard house and neighbors walk or drive by to drop off candy.

Safe Halloween Gatherings:

• Follow safe distance rules, even when outdoors.

• Gatherings held outdoors where protective masks are used and people can remain more than 6 feet apart are a much safer alternative to crowded gatherings held indoors.

• Consistent with Executive Order 163 – abide by mass gathering limits (no more than 25 individuals indoors and 50 outdoors).

Mask/Face Covering Safety:

• Wear face coverings when you are or may be within six feet of another person, especially if coming to the door or standing on a porch where social distancing is difficult to maintain.

• Remember, a costume mask is not a substitute for a cloth face-covering unless it has multiple layers of breathable fabric and covers the mouth and nose snugly.

• Do not wear a costume mask over a protective cloth mask because it can be dangerous if the costume mask makes it hard to breathe. Instead, consider using a Halloween-themed cloth mask. Avoid painting face coverings, as paints may contain toxins.

Safe Alternative Halloween Activities:

• Have 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 (children should stay within their household groups).

• Have a virtual Halloween costume contest.

• Have a Halloween movie night with people you live with.

• Have a scavenger hunt-style trick-or-treat search with your household members in or around your home rather than going house to house.

• Have a small group, outdoor, open-air costume parade where people are distanced more than 6 feet apart.

For more information regarding COVID-19 and Halloween, please click here.

Please consult the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) Fall- Related Events Guidance for outdoor activities at farms, pumpkin patches, haunted houses/trails, and agritourism events by clicking here.

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