Halloween Trick or Treating

When:

 

Halloween guidance from The Wisconsin Department of Health:

https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19/community.htm

 

Be safe and stay healthy this Halloween to slow the spread of COVID-19. Remember that large gatherings and close contact with people outside of your household increase your risk. So, this year, find new ways to celebrate that don’t involve big in-person parties or traditional trick-or-treating.

Events to Avoid

The Department of Health Services (DHS) recommends the following events not take place this year:

  • Large outdoor gatherings such as parties, festivals, and parades.
    • Even though being outside decreases the risk, being in close contact with people you don’t live with increases the risk of spreading and contracting COVID-19.
  • In-person indoor parties and celebrations. 
    • In-person costume contests and parties are not recommended, no matter where they might be held.
  • Happy hours or socializing at bars.
    • We’ve learned that going out to the bars helps the virus spread quickly.
  • Traditional trick-or-treating from neighbor to neighbor.
    • Going house-to-house and having in-person contact is not recommended.

Ideas for Celebrating More Safely

You can still enjoy the holiday. Just celebrate with fewer people in-person and/or more people online.

  • Hold virtual costume contests and parties. Dress up. Get online with friends and other families to celebrate and rate each other’s costumes.
  • Increase what you do at home to celebrate. Decorate where you live. Get the kids involved in making decorations. Bake Halloween-themed treats. Watch scary movies with your family, household, or as a group online.
  • If your community hosts trick-or-treating this year, do it more safely. Leave individual grab bags (or paper cups) filled with goodies outside your door for children to take. If you can, watch and wave to trick-or-treaters through a window. Or, leave Halloween treats outside the door where friends and loved ones live for a contact-free way of celebrating.
  • Instead of the usual close contact in a confined space, visit (or create!) a drive-through haunted house experience.