Have a Safe and Healthy Halloween

Orange jack-o-lantern sitting on a wooden park bench next to some gourds.

October 21, 2020 - COVID-19 cases have risen recently and holiday gatherings on Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day led to increased case counts. The Benton County Health Department has provided the following guidance to make sure you have a safe and healthy Halloween this year. Choosing low risk Halloween plans can help to prevent the spread of COVID-19 illness. 

These are high-risk activities that people are encouraged to avoid:

  • Trick-or-treating. Oregon Health Authority is recommending that Oregonians avoid traditional door-to-door trick or treating as well as trunk-or-treat where treats are handed out from trunks of cars lined up in large parking lots.

  • Attending crowded costume parties held indoors.

  • 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.

  • Using alcohol or drugs, which can affect judgement and increase risky behaviors.

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

Trick or treating is not recommended this Halloween, so parents will be looking for safe, but still spooky, ways to create a fun and memorable holiday. Children may be disappointed, but there are lots of fun possibilities. Consider involving your children in the planning to add to their enthusiasm for the holiday. Here are some ideas of ways to celebrate safely:

  • Host an online costume contest with friends and family both near and far away. (Governor Kate Brown is hosting one on her Facebook page using #SpookySafeOregon. Make sure you include a face covering!)

  • Watch a scary Halloween movie online.

  • Carve pumpkins with members of your household.

  • Have a neighborhood jack-o’-lantern contest by displaying carved pumpkins where neighbors can see them from the sidewalk.

  • Tour a neighborhood yard and home displays with household members.

  • Decorate your house, apartment or living space.

  • Make your own Halloween candy or caramel apples.

  • Have a Halloween scavenger hunt in or around your home.

  • Remember that the safest activities are celebrating with members of your own household. If you gather with people outside your own household, you can decrease the risk by being outside, maintaining at least six feet of distance, and wearing a face covering.

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