John Devaney and Teddy Devaney
Staff Writers
With Halloween right around the corner, and coronavirus still doing damage to the country, the CDC is now listing trick or treating as a high risk activity for catching the virus. The CDC has released a statement on their website to make sure people understand the risk they are accepting for parties. Obviously online parties for future holidays are fine and pose no risk that participants will contract the coronavirus, but for in-person parties the CDC wants people to check their local community coronavirus cases and make sure they are taking account of all possible risks.
The statement includes more detailed information about avoiding increased risk of catching Covid-19. This includes choosing an outdoor gathering over an indoor, as the chance of spread is greatly decreased, shortening the total time of the gathering or party, and the behavior of guests at the gathering. If the party cannot be held outside for some reason, make sure to pick a room that has good ventilation and open windows.
After the celebration, the CDC suggests that all commonly used surfaces should be thoroughly cleaned and that the people who were at the party should stay home as much as possible and should quarantine for two weeks to keep others safe.
With regards to Halloween, masks worn as part of costumes are not sufficient for coronavirus safety. The only exception would be a mask made with at least two or more layers of breathable fabric. Also keep in mind that candy handed out has a high risk of being touched by someone who has Covid-19 and the wrappers should be cleaned before they are open and the candy is consumed.
Hopefully people will make the right decisions and keep everybody safe so we can have Halloween.
