How to trick-or-treat safely during the pandemic

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said it’s OK for kids to go trick-or-treating this Halloween—carefully.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky advised that kids trick-or-treat in small groups and avoid indoor Halloween parties during the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts quoted in an October 2, 2021 USA Today article suggested other precautionary measures, such as physical distancing and wearing masks.

“What better opportunity to wear a mask than Halloween?” said Stephen Kissler, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Try to incorporate (a mask) into your costume any way you can.” He noted, “The principles of the pandemic really do continue to hold. Outdoor gatherings are better than indoor, ventilation is important, masking remains helpful.”

He also recommended getting a flu shot as a precaution, “so you have immunity when Halloween comes along.”

Read the USA Today article: Is trick-or-treating safe? How to celebrate Halloween amid the COVID-19 pandemic