Residents Encouraged to Practice a Safe and Socially Distant Halloween

The guidance offers recommendations on how to safely prepare and celebrate the holiday with the current COVID-19 restrictions.

October 1, 2020 | 2 min reading time

This article is 4 years old. It was published on October 1, 2020.

The City of St. Louis Department of Health, to protect the health and safety of every resident and visitor to the City of St. Louis, is issuing guidance today for safe Halloween activities. Through this guidance, each resident is asked to take extra precautions to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the St. Louis region. The need for social distancing does change how many people celebrate the holiday, but it is still possible to enjoy Halloween and stay COVID-19-safe. 

“Parents play a huge role in helping their children navigate through the preparations and celebration of the holiday with the current increased restrictions,” says Dr. Fredrick Echols, acting director of health for the City of St. Louis. “Talking to your child about the importance of protecting their health and safety can grow their understanding of the virus and necessary mitigation efforts.”

The guidance offers recommendations on how to safely consider trick-or-treating, including remaining in your neighborhood, avoiding large crowds, wearing facial coverings, and washing or sanitizing your child’s hands regularly.

For groups considering activities like a trunk-or-treat, drive-through events are recommended, or pre-planned events with assigned parking spaces, a limited number of staff or volunteers to operate the event, and timed entry to allow for crowd control. 

Some typical Halloween activities are not recommended, as they can act as potential sources of COVID-19 spread in the community. These include, but are not limited to indoor haunted houses, large gatherings in schools or university residential halls, or visiting rural festivals were COVID-19 mitigation efforts are not enforced.

The guidance serves as a way to safely celebrate the holiday while remaining vigilant in protecting yourself, your family, and the community from the continued spread of COVID-19. 

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