OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — In preparation for fall holidays, the CDC released guidelines on how to celebrate safely. Included in the list was a kid-favorite, Halloween, but, the 31st may be filled with more tricks than treats this year.
The CDC states that most traditional Halloween activities are high-risk for spreading the virus. Trick-or-treating, costume parties and haunted houses are not recommended. Instead, the CDC suggests activities such as pumpkin carving with household members or a virtual costume contest.
The ongoing pandemic is making some people hesitant to celebrate this year. Mangelsen's is seeing less costume sales right now and more decor sales.
"It's definitely going to affect the Halloween season. I try to engage with the customers that we have in right now, asking them what their plans are. To me it's about 50/50," says Jeremy Lubash, the prop room manager at Mangelsen's.
Celebrating traditionally with kids can be risky, even if they seem healthy. As Children's Physicians pediatrician Dr. Shannon Godsil says, it's harder to detect COVID symptoms.
"There is still that risk because they're not showing a lot of signs," Godsil says. "With kids, they can still show those mild and minimal symptoms and feel great, run around and be in a big group of individuals."
The CDC states that if you are going to go trick-or-treating, keep with safety precautions such as social distancing and wearing a mask. They also suggest a one-way path and individually wrapped grab-and-go goodie bags.
"Make sure you're leaving them on your door for somebody to be able to pick up. Because you're not there, you've got that distance. You're cutting out that immediate contact," Godsil says.