The Covid-19 pandemic continues to send communities indoors to self-isolate and socially distance from each other and with the holidays just around the corner, many are wondering what it will be like to celebrate while ensuring coronavirus safety. While most are already adept in using Zoom, Skype, Facetime, and other apps to communicate with friends, family, and colleagues in the comfort of our homes, one would wonder how trick or treating during Halloween will commence safely in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. Of course, hosting parties and large gatherings are still highly discouraged, but that does not mean you and your family can no longer celebrate Halloween in a fun and meaningful way.
Halloween Coronavirus Safety During the Covid-19 Pandemic
So how does one keep safe from exposure to Covid-19 during the Halloween season? First of all, it is still best to abide by CDC recommendations to wear a cloth face mask or covering when heading out into public spaces. Maintaining a 6-feet distance between yourself and the next person is still also highly recommended to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Another Halloween coronavirus tip during the Covid-19 pandemic is to know what the main risks are when it comes to outdoor activities, such as trick or treating. According to Good Housekeeping, there are three main risks in Halloween trick or treating this year.
The first risk of transmission if one joins a large group of trick or treaters. Remember that some people who are indeed infected with Covid-19 are asymptomatic, meaning they show no symptoms but can still infect others. Being close to others who are asymptomatic while trick or treating will increase one’s risk of contracting the virus. Secondly, the movement of people from house to house will increase the risk for face-to-face exposure, especially when not equipped with a cloth face mask or standing 6 feet away from each other. Lastly, there is also a risk for contracting the virus when trick or treaters touch surfaces such as doorbells, gates, doors, candy, and more. Of course, the use of hand sanitizers and soap and water is still highly encouraged when out and about, but it does not completely eliminate the risk of contracting the virus, especially with kids who rub their eyes, touch their face, or put their fingers in their mouths as they go trick or treating.
On the flip side, as a resident of your community, should you answer the door and give out candy on Halloween? The answer is, it depends. Check your local community for the number of cases and communicate (remotely, via online group chats and the like) with your neighborhood on steps to take for a safe trick or treat activity. For communities who have safely self-isolated and have no active cases of Covid-19, they can safely go trick or treating as long as they wear a face covering over their nose and mouth and bring hand sanitizer for frequent hand cleaning throughout the trick or treat activity. As a homeowner, it’s best to sanitize your front porch, door, doorknobs, and any high touch surface that you think trick or treaters are most likely going to touch.
How to Trick or Treat for Halloween During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Set up a Trick or Treat Station!
One of the things you can do to avoid transmission of the coronavirus is to decrease the time spent interacting with others on the front porch. Instead of giving out candy using a candy bowl, why not wrap candy and treats into single “servings” or packs using party bags so that the trick or treater won’t have to touch anything else except his bag? This limits the time he or she will spend on your front porch and his contact with surfaces. You can layout a picnic blanket and place your goodie bags on it for kids to come pick up when they pass by your house. It’s also great to leave a bottle of hand sanitizer so trick or treaters can easily sanitize their hands on the go if they need to or if they’ve forgotten to bring their own. You can also set up an outdoor table where you can lay out treats for them to pick up so you don’t need to interact with them too much. Here’s everything you need for a festive little trick or treat station on your porch or yard.
1. Lifetime Height Adjustable Craft Camping and Utility Folding Table
Your outdoor Halloween trick or treat station begins with a sturdy utility table folding table that’s easy to transport and assemble, and can withstand the elements outdoors. This all purpose table from Lifetime is made of powder-coated steel and high-density polyethylene plastic to ensure durability for the years to come. It features a 48-inch x 24-inch molded tabletop and an adjustable height so you can arrange it to be a shorter table for little hands and arms to reach, featuring three adjustable height settings of 24-inch, 29-inch and 36-inch. After Halloween, you can easily fold it in half for easy storage. This best-selling camping and utility folding table from Lifetime has an overall rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon.
Promising review: “Bought this as a craft table. I can’t say anything bad about it. The braces are placed so you have open space under for trash and legs. It adjusts for the craft you’re doing so you can sit or stand. The uses for this table are unlimited from a kids party to a very usable work space. The small size works well In tight spaces.” Garnet Druhot
2. Amscan Spider Web Flannel-Backed Vinyl Table Cover
Perfect for Halloween, this fun vinyl table cover features a creepy spider web print to go with the theme of the season! It’s great for placing over your outdoor table this Halloween so you can place your goody bags for kids to pick up at your yard. Its vinyl material makes it easy to clean without having to wash. Just wipe with soap and water. Measures 52 x 90 inches. This table cover has an overall rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars on Amazon.
Promising review: “Great for Halloween decor and for tables that get messy. We use this on our normal dining room table to be festive. It is well loved after one halloween but held-up well.” Stephanie
3. Swibitter Halloween Balloons Decoration Set with Air Pump
Accessorize your Halloween trick or treat table with this balloons decoration set from Swibitter, which features premium quality balloons made of biodegradable latex and foil. It features a black cat sitting on a pumpkin balloon, 12 pieces of black and orange Halloween-themed balloons, a set of balloons that spell out “Happy Halloween,” a balloon pump, glue, and ribbon so you can tie the balloons to your outdoor station. The “Happy Halloween” balloons can easily be attached using string or stuck on a board or your table cover. This festive set of decorations is available on Amazon.
4. Iconikal Paper Treat Bags, Happy Halloween, 40-Count Set
During the Covid-19 pandemic, avoid giving out candy through a candy bowl and instead wrap up treats in these fun paper treat bags from Iconikal. For just below $10, you can get up to 40 amazing Halloween goody bags that are ready to fill with candy, party favors, baked goods, toys, and more! It measures 4.5 inches wide x 2.5 inches deep x 9 inches tall and easily folds out into shape so you can get packing well ahead of Halloween. It’s also great for kids who want a Halloween themed birthday party. These bags are easy to use and are made of paper, so it’s better for the environment versus plastic. They’re highly rated for its value for money, sturdiness, and durability. It has an overall customer rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon.
Promising review: “Way better than the plastic bags. These bags are easy to pack and easy for kids to open. They’re super cute.” CL
5. PURA D’OR Premium Hand Sanitizer Gel
Last but not the least, equip your Halloween trick or treat station with a hand sanitizer that comes in an easy dispense pump bottle so kids and kids at heart can sanitize their hands after grabbing some treats. The Pura D’or hand sanitizer gel features a 70% alcohol based formula that effectively kills 99% of germs, providing enough antibacterial power to keep hands clean when you have no access to soap and water. Its unique formula contains organic aloe vera gel and vitamin E to prevent dryness, as well as organic tea tree oil for deep cleansing, organic peppermint oil for therapeutic protection and organic lavender essential oil for a soothing scent. It comes in a very useful pump bottle that’s easy to dispense. This Premium Hand Sanitizer has an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars on Amazon.
Promising review: “This sanitizer makes your skin so soft after using it just once. I like all the natural ingredients, get it if you are on the fence about it! It’s worth the money just for the softness that it offers!” Jess R.
Safely Celebrate Halloween At Home With These Fun Activities
If you and your family are not keen on going trick or treating this year, that’s totally fine. In fact, there are several ways you can enjoy the Halloween season at home with the family. Check out these fun Halloween-themed family board games and gather everyone around for a bonding activity indoors.
1. University Games Stupid Deaths The Party Game
This Halloween, bring out your dark sense of humor with this fun and funny game from University Games. Stupid Deaths lets you race around the game board with your family as you go on a historical adventure of the stupidest deaths ever. Learn about history and some of the most ridiculous ways to die as players decide whether these cards hold facts or myths. The This set includes a Game Board, 6 Player Pawns, 1 Grim Reaper, 300 Stupid Deaths Cards, 6 True Cards, 6 False Cards, 6 Extra Life Tokens. This game has an overall rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars on Amazon.
Promising review: “We are a family of nurses with a tendency to love dark and twisty gifts. This was a huge hit at the family’s Christmas gathering. Easy and quick to play, even the kiddos joined in. Highly recommend.” MB
2. Boooo-opoly
Perfect for 2 to 6 players, this fun twist to the much-loved Monopoly has a fresh Halloween take to it. It’s a classic property trading game made especially for celebrating Halloween! Players can purchase Halloween properties, collect Haunted Houses and even trade them in for Full Moons. Also in the game, players will experience Fright Fees, Bats in your Belfry, the Jack-o-lantern carving contest, and Slimy Spider Tacos at the Monster Mash. The game features player pieces such as cat, bat, pumpkin, candy apple, ghost, and witch’s hat and also lets you in on some fun Halloween facts as you play. This game has an overall rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars on Amazon.
Promising review: “It turned out to be very fun. The metallic markers were a very very cute touch. The haunted houses and screams added a good Halloween theme to the game that made it a very good night of scary fun.” Therese Oerther
3. Ravensburger Disney Villainous Strategy Board Game
This Halloween, Disney fans will delight in playing the Ravensburger Disney Villainous Strategy Board Game, a fun strategy game featuring iconic Disney villains. Winner of the 2019 Game of the Year award at the 2019 TOTY Awards, this game features 6 iconic Disney villains, each with their own sinister goals, including Captain Hook, Maleficent, Jafar, Ursula, Queen of Hearts, and Prince John. While players play as these villains and are guided by their unique objectives, interaction happens through the Fate Deck, where players can thwart their opponents from reaching their objectives. From setting traps to welding curses, this game will truly bring out the villain in you this Halloween! This game has an overall rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon.
Promising review: “Great game and lots of fun! Definitely for older players and can be difficult learning how to play. About 3 times playing you will get the hang of it. Plus every character has a different game. Great for a true Disney fan! Love the details in the game too!” Jon Meets World
4. Ghostbusters The Board Game
Self-isolating with the family on Halloween won’t be complete without the iconic Ghostbusters! Celebrate pop culture with the Ghostbusters The Board Game, an episodic adventure game that’s great for one to four players and packed with actual ghost hunting! It features unique illustrations and figures based on the original artwork and designs by Dan Schoening, the artists of the Ghostbusters comic book series. This game finds Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler and Winston Zeddemore with a distinct role and unlocks unique abilities by gaining experience. This game has an overall rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars on Amazon.
Promising review: “I love that players play as a team instead of against each other and my favorite part is that you don’t just roll the dice and follow to where it takes you, instead, you have to make choices how to spend your actions and which action would be the most beneficial to the team. Highly recommend!” V_bar
5. Endless Games Horror Trivia Card Game
This is the perfect gift for horror film buffs: the Endless Games Horror Trivia Card Game is a game that lets you answer horror trivia cards, which will challenge you on your knowledge of horror films past and present. It features easy instructions and scoring that makes it enjoyable for Halloween night and beyond. Includes 150 game cards and loads of questions and insights to learn from. This game has an overall rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon.
Promising review: “This is a super fun game. With TONS of great horror movie questions. I am a HUGE horror movie buff, as is my family, and we enjoyed this game so much! It had questions from movies WE haven’t even seen, which is cool because we get to add these movies to our ‘must watch’ list!” Anand Purewal
For more on coronavirus safety during this holiday season, make sure to check out the stories below. Stick around for more great Halloween ideas coming soon.
Your Guide to the Different Types of Face Masks for Covid-19 Protection
COVID-19: How to Protect Against Coronavirus at Home
COVID-19: How Coronavirus Affects the Body and How You Can Protect Yourself from the Virus
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