The usual Halloween celebration brings family, friends, neighbors, and even strangers together for the spookiest time of year. Trick-or-treating, costumes, jack-o-lanterns, ghost stories, horror movies, candy, and much more swirl around the heads of children and adults alike awaiting the 31st of October. The coronavirus may have put a damper on many traditional Halloween plans, but that doesn’t mean this beloved holiday is ruined at all. There are still plenty of fun ways to celebrate while staying safe and complying with CDC guidelines.

There are some activities that should be avoided this year because of their elevated risk. The following are listed as “higher risk” and should be avoided. Activities such as traditional trick-or-treating, crowded parties, and indoor haunted houses where people would be screaming in a confined space. Any celebrations that are outside your community or inner circle should be approached with utmost caution, or even better, not at all. Avoid going to places where there would be a lot of strangers and large crowds. A cloth or medical face mask should accompany all costumes, even costumes with full rubber masks.

Big Halloween parties are most likely out of the question for this year, but smaller get-togethers with less people, including more of those in one’s inner circle (immediate/close family and close friends), are okay. Outdoors is best, but rooms with a lot of ventilation are okay as well. As long as there is an appropriate distance between those who are not living in the same household, and masks are worn at all times, it’d be categorized as a moderate risk activity by the CDC’s guidelines. Things like a neighborhood-wide, socially-distanced costume parade, visiting an apple or pumpkin orchard, or an outdoor movie showing would also be included in this category. These activities should be done in an extremely cautious manner.

Lower risk activities are the best way to  to make sure that everyone can stay safe and healthy. Safer alternatives that still capture the essence of the holiday will probably make this year the one that everyone will remember for its uniqueness. Activities like carving pumpkins or watching a Halloween movie marathon with roommates are good alternatives. Having a virtual movie night or costume contest would also be a fun one. Even just decorating for the holiday and settling in with a bunch of candy for a movie marathon could be enough for some people. 

This year’s Halloween celebration will definitely be nothing like the rest, but that doesn’t mean it’s automatically going to be the worst. Although it’s unfortunate, following the CDC guidelines and the guidelines for the state of Hawaii while enjoying Halloween as much as possible is the best thing that can happen this year. 

Happy Halloween!