Nassau County Emergency Management
October 14, 2020
Many traditional Halloween activities can be high-risk for spreading viruses.
Take precautions to avoid spreading diseases – primarily: WASH YOUR HANDS with soap and water frequently, especially after touching something that someone else has touched or after sneezing/coughing into your hands!
Trick-or-Treating can be done safely and there are several safe, alternative ways to participate in Halloween.
The Florida Public Health Advisory is still in effect!
NOTE: If you may have COVID-19 or you may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, you should NOT participate in in-person Halloween festivities and should NOT give out candy to trick-or-treaters.
Lower-risk activities can be safe alternatives:
– Carving or decorating pumpkins with members of your household and displaying them
– Carving or decorating pumpkins outside, at a safe distance, with neighbors or friends
– Decorating your house, apartment, or living space
– Doing a Halloween scavenger hunt where children are given lists of Halloween-themed things to look for while they walk outdoors from house to house admiring Halloween decorations at a distance
– Having a virtual Halloween costume contest
– Having a Halloween movie night with people you live with
– Having a scavenger hunt-style trick-or-treat search with your household members in or around your home rather than going house to house
Moderate-risk activities:
– Participating in one-way trick-or-treating where individually wrapped goodie bags are lined up for families to grab and go while continuing to social distance (such as at the end of a driveway or at the edge of a yard). Wash your hands with soap and water, lathering for at least 20 second, before and after preparing the goodie bags!
– Having an outdoor, open-air, small-group costume parade where people are distanced more than 6 feet apart
– Attending a costume party held outdoors where protective face coverings (cloth masks) are used and people can remain more than 6 feet apart.
NOTE: A “costume mask” (such as typically used for Halloween) is not a substitute for a cloth mask!
A costume mask should NOT be used unless it is made of two or more layers of breathable fabric that covers the mouth and nose and doesn’t leave gaps around the face.
Do NOT wear a costume mask over a protective cloth mask – it can be dangerous if the costume mask makes it hard to breathe. Instead, consider using a Halloween-themed cloth mask.
– Going to an open-air, one-way, walk-through haunted forest where appropriate mask use is enforced, and people can remain more than 6 feet apart.
NOTE: If screaming will likely occur, greater distancing is advised. The greater the distance, the lower the risk of spreading a respiratory virus.
– Visiting pumpkin patches or orchards where people use hand sanitizer before touching pumpkins or picking apples, wearing masks is encouraged or enforced, and people are able to maintain social distancing.
– Having an outdoor “Halloween Movie Night” with people spaced at least 6 feet apart.
NOTE: If screaming will likely occur, greater distancing is advised. The greater the distance, the lower the risk of spreading a respiratory virus.
Lower your risk by following CDC’s recommendations on hosting gatherings or cook-outs.
https://www.cdc.gov/…/personal-social-activities.html…