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8 Halloween Activities You Can Enjoy Safely This Year, and 4 You Should Still Avoid

  • Anthony Fauci, M.D., and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, M.D., have both made statements about Halloween safety.

  • Lower-risk activities include outdoor activities like trick-or-treating, while high-risk activities include indoor events with larger groups, like visiting haunted houses.

  • Doctors recommend wearing a face mask while handing out candy and during other group activities.


Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released guidance on the safest way to celebrate Halloween during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, the CDC briefly shared information on holiday celebrations, only to yank it soon after, saying it contained older information.

So, plenty of people are wondering what, exactly, they should do this Halloween to enjoy the season while staying safe. Top doctors in the country have shared some insight recently.

Anthony Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that children should “go out there and enjoy Halloween.”

“You’re outdoors, for the most part—at least when my children were out there doing trick-or-treating,” he said. “And enjoy it. I mean, this is a time that children love. It’s a very important part of the year for children. I know my children enjoyed it.”

Rochelle Walensky, M.D., director of the CDC also said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” that trick-or-treating is OK, but stopped short at telling people to party together. “I wouldn't necessarily go to a crowded Halloween party, but I think we should be able to let our kids go trick-or-treating in small groups,” she said.

But there are plenty of other activities that are popular around the Halloween season—and what about if you’re around vaccinated vs. unvaccinated people?

In general, it’s safest to keep things outdoors, says William Schaffner, M.D., an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. “One of the critical issues is who has been vaccinated,” he says, noting that it can be hard to know for sure who actually has and hasn’t gotten the shot if you’re mingling with a larger group of people. Children under the age of 12 still aren’t eligible for the vaccine, he points out. Even for older kids, “there are a lot of kids and adolescents who are not vaccinated,” Dr. Schaffner says.

If you do decide to gather indoors, “the unvaccinated should wear masks,” says infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. He calls indoor gatherings a “low risk” activity for people who are vaccinated, but higher risk for those who are unvaccinated.

And, if you’re planning to pass out Halloween candy, Dr. Schaffner also suggests masking up. “It’s safest and it’s telling people, ‘I respect you,’” he says.

Overall, Dr. Adalja says, “Halloween is a relatively low risk activity as many activities are outdoors. This was true in the pre-vaccine era and even more so now.” He adds, “all outdoor activities are low risk and extremely low risk for the vaccinated.”

So, what, exactly is, considered lower and higher-risk this Halloween? Vaccination status matters but, in general, here’s what you should consider before you get into the spooky spirit.

Lower risk: Being outdoors

If you’re planning to be in crowds, even outdoors, it’s a good idea to mask up, Dr. Schaffner says. “Safe alternatives” for Halloween fun include:

  • Trick-or-treating outdoors in small groups

  • Carving or decorating pumpkins with members of your household—or with friends outdoors.

  • Enjoying a Halloween movie night with the people you live with.

  • Having a scavenger hunt-style trick-or-treat search with your household members in or around your home.

  • Having a small, outdoor costume parade where social distancing is enforced.

  • Attending a costume party held outdoors where protective masks are used and people can remain more than six feet apart.

  • Going to an outdoor, one-way, walk-through haunted forest where appropriate mask use is enforced.

  • Visiting pumpkin patches or orchards where people use hand sanitizer before touching pumpkins or picking apples, wearing masks is enforced, and people are able to maintain social distancing.

Higher risk: Taking no precautions

These activities are consider higher risk:

  • Attending crowded costume parties held indoors without masks, where vaccination status of attendees is uncertain.

  • Going to an indoor haunted house where people may be crowded together and screaming.

  • Going on hayrides or tractor rides with people who are not in your household.

  • Traveling to a rural fall festival that is not in your community if you live in an area where COVID-19 is spreading.


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