MERIDIAN, Idaho — While many Halloween events will go on as planned this year, medical experts have said trick-or-treating is not a tradition that should continue during the pandemic.
Health officials recommend avoiding trick-or-treating, crowded costume parties, and indoor haunted houses. Many have said that such activities only contribute to the spread of the coronavirus in our communities.
“Trick-or-treating is a high-risk event," said Dr. Richard Augustus, chief medical officer for West Valley Medical Center in Caldwell. "I would not recommend it. We really need to be careful. Do something different, do something creative. Think outside the box, have some fun but be careful.”
Idahoans are now thinking outside the box about ways they can still entertain kids. Marissa Purl from Meridian said Halloween is big in her neighborhood, so instead of handing out candy, she will scatter candy sticks on her front lawn.
“I think people still want to participate, they want to have a good time but they want to do so safely and no matter what your opinion is of how to stay safe, we still want our children to be safe,” Purl said.
She has seen a lot of creative ideas on social media and around her neighborhood. People are choosing to do trick or treating in their own homes, or have treasure hunts in their backyards. Purl acknowledged, though, that not all parents are willing to go the extra mile.
“I think for some people it’s too much stress to deal with another thing and so you know, at some point you've had enough so you know if they’re going to mentally say, 'I can’t handle any more stress this year, I can’t handle talking to my kids about it, I can’t handle making a choice that’s really better for the whole community, you know that’s on them.'” she said.
For a list of health experts' Halloween do’s and don’ts, click or tap here.
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