With Covid-19 cases on the rise, many people are wondering what is going to happen this Halloween. Will there be trick-or-treating? Will haunted houses be opening? Will children still be able to celebrate?  Many parents are conflicted about what is socially responsible.

Trick-or-treating has been a tradition for years, but parents don’t know whether it’s safe. In a survey, Colleen Lyles, mother of three, said, “We are planning on trick-or-treating, although not as long as we usually do, and will also be passing out candy from our driveway.” While other parents are not so sure. Heather Michalski said, “I’m not sure if I feel comfortable with many different people touching the same candy my children will touch and getting too close to each other when going door-to-door.” About 85% of parents said they will be letting their children trick-or-treat. The other parents don’t know what they are going to do, but if you do choose to trick or treat there will be some precautions.

Although many towns are not encouraging trick-or-treating, they are not canceling it either. These towns have stated if you do trick-or-treat it is recommended that you follow the normal covid-19 guidelines of wearing a mask, social distancing, and sanitizing your hands. Some towns like Elgin and Aurora are even offering alternatives to trick-or-treating such as drive-through haunted houses. When asked about her opinion about these alternatives Amy Amegasse, mother of three, said, “Why not? If it makes people happy and gives them another way to enjoy Halloween. I am completely for it.”

Another prime Halloween event for an older audience is haunted houses. Though not everyone enjoys haunted houses, most people do. About 60% of the parents I interviewed said they would not choose to send their children to a haunted house because of the covid-19 pandemic. They believe these attractions could be super spreaders. While the other parents think we need to support small businesses. “Haunted houses should be open. We need to support small business owners. It’s up to us to make sure that our own families choose the safe path by masking up and social distancing,” Amegasse said in the survey.

Even if Halloween is not the same this year, we can still have fun. Most cities are still having trick-or-treating and even some haunted houses are opening. There might be regulations, but its Halloween nonetheless. Halloween is not going anywhere, but if you participate in any of these activities make sure to wear a mask.