By Kannara Ruiz

As the coronavirus pandemic continues from the summer into the fall, the idea that Halloween might be normal this year seems crazy. With this whole health crisis going on, is it safe for kids to go out? Some cities, including Passaic, were forced to create new regulations during this holiday, as new cases continue to plague Americans.

This year, as new instances of novel coronavirus began to infect Americans, several cities have been forced to establish new laws and regulations for Halloween festivities.

In the fall, health officials expected a new increase in COVID-19 cases as temperatures dropped and the flu season approached. The CDC advised people to avoid high risk activities such as trick or treating, costume parties, and instead try low-risk activities such as decorating and pumpkin carving.
¨Trunk or Treat” activities, where children visit car trunks should restrict the numbers of cars to reduce crowds and to have cars in a line rather than a circle.

The CDC warned that indoor gatherings with poor ventilation pose more risk with gatherings that have good ventilation. If you decide to have indoor gatherings, everyone needs to wear a mask and keep the capacity to 25 percent or any household members who live there. Also to arrange treats in such a way that they can be easily and safely accessed without several hands touching. As always candy and other food items should be individually wrapped to prevent tampering.

Many states allowed trick or treating, while others did not. For us, Governor Murphy assured residents that Halloween would not be cancelled this year. Some New Jersey residents were disappointed about the decision to cancel trick or treating though. Like everything else during this pandemic the idea of a normal Halloween is just not going to happen. Local mayors recommend if you are planning on handing out candy, wear a mask, keep a distance, and don’t do any activities if you are experiencing any symptoms.

The governor states that a costume mask does not meet the guidelines as it does not provide the appropriate level of protection. He also encouraged all celebrations to be held outdoors and that individuals must comply with his executive order.

Here in Passaic, many residents around town did not follow any of the CDC regulations. A lot of people decided to throw big parties with no masks or social distancing. Haunted houses were still open even when the CDC recommended not to go, even hayrides were still available to the public.
While it appeared that children were restricted from going trick or treating from door to door, many families did some pumpkin carving, baked some cookies, watched some Halloween movies, and let their kids wear their costumes.

I stayed home and watched scary movies with my mom, as did most of my friends. So Halloween was not cancelled, but it did look different than in the past. Hopefully next year will be better and we can all celebrate together.