It seems the world as we know it is changing every day; schooling moved to online, mandatory masks in public, and 6-feet social distancing is the new norm. Where does that leave us for Halloween? 

All parents know that Halloween is something children of all ages look forward to, but amidst a pandemic, is trick-or-treating safe? Some argue that trick-or-treating was never truly safe. The crime rate on October 31st is 50% higher than the average daily crime rate year-round. Therefore, it is safest for children to be accompanied by an adult while going out on Halloween. In addition, allowing children to consume a larger amount of candy and other sources of sugar can lead to weakened immunity and cold-like symptoms that resemble allergies. 

To do what’s best for the community we must consider all members. It’s true that children are mostly at low risk for Coronavirus, but they aren’t exempt from being carriers. This weakened immunity through high sugar consumption would make children more susceptible to viral infections such as Coronavirus. Therefore, if we allow our children to trick-or-treat in the traditional door to door fashion and only one member of the community is sick, we could still potentially be exposing hundreds of people to a deadly virus.

Does this mean Halloween is cancelled? Absolutely not! In this day and age, technology has been our saving grace, and why not allow technology to save Halloween? One healthy, productive alternative to trick-or-treating this year is to have a community-wide pumpkin decorating contest! Each family can get together on Halloween, still dressed to impress in their favorite costume, and paint or carve their pumpkins. Families can then post images of their pumpkins online and vote for the best pumpkin! 

By remaining indoors and eliminating the large sugar intake by children, we are helping to reduce the crime rate and limiting the community exposure to a deadly virus. The traditional festivities of Halloween don’t have to be cancelled, just more contained and in a family setting instead of a larger family and friends setting. During this time, children can be reminded the importance of spending time with loved ones while still feeling the holiday spirit, with the added bonus of having fun pumpkin art to display. 

Although day to day life is changed due to the global pandemic, we should still be able to have fun in the communities we live in. Despite the changes made to the traditions of the holidays, we are still able to celebrate and have fun.