No trick-or-treating, no screaming advised for Halloween: COVID is scary enough

Even without traditional trick-or-treating this year, Halloween can still be fun. The Fairfax County Health Department urges people to avoid door-to-door trick-or-treating and other activities that would pose a risk of contracting COVID-19, but offers several alternatives.

The recommendations are based on guidance from the CDC, which also offers recommendations for safely celebrating Día de los Muertos and Thanksgiving.

“Halloween is going to look different this year and we all need to continue to protect ourselves and our loved ones against COVID-19,” says Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeffrey McKay. 

“While Fairfax County cannot ‘cancel’ trick-or-treating, we do hope our residents will continue to prioritize safety just as we have all year,” McKay says. “There are simple solutions to continue to enjoy the scares of the holiday -– remember to wear a mask that matches your costume, social distance, and have small Halloween activities outside.”

The Health Department says these activities are high-risk and should be avoided:

• Traditional trick-or-treating where treats are handed to children who go door to door.
• Trunk-or-treat events where treats are handed out from trunks of cars lined up in large parking lots and social distancing can’t be maintained.
• Crowded costume parties held indoors.
• Indoor haunted houses where people may be crowded together and screaming.
• Hayrides or tractor rides with people who are not in your household.

Trick-or-treating should be avoided this year.

These alternative activities have a moderate level of risk – as long as people wear masks and maintain six feet of social distancing – but are safer than traditional parties or trick-or-treating:

• One-way trick-or-treating where individually wrapped goodie bags are lined up at the end of the driveway or edge of the yard for families to grab and go.  
• A small group, outdoor, open-air costume parade.
• Outdoor costume parties.
• Small outdoor events, such as trunk-or-treat.
• An open-air, one-way, walk-through haunted forest.
• Pumpkin patches or orchards where people use hand sanitizer before touching pumpkins or picking apples.
• An outdoor Halloween movie night with local family and friends.

Low-risk activities that can be safe alternatives include:

• Carving or decorating pumpkins with members of your household or outside at a safe distance with neighbors or friends.
• Decorating your house, apartment, or living space.
• A Halloween scavenger hunt where children are given lists of Halloween-themed items to look for while they walk outdoors from house to house admiring Halloween decorations at a distance.
• Virtual Halloween costume contests or parties.
• A Halloween movie night with people in your household.

The Health Department advises anyone who tested positive for COVID-19, have COVID symptoms, or been in contact with someone infected in the past 14 days to not participate in any in-person Halloween activities and not give out candy to trick-to-treaters.