Halloween is coming up. This is a time when many kids go trick-or-treating, and adults hand out candy. This year, the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment released some general guidelines and recommendations to follow in order to stay safe celebrating Halloween during the COVID-19 pandemic.

General Recommendations:

Protect yourself and others. 

• Do not attend in-person celebrations if you have any COVID-19 symptoms, have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 and are currently in quarantine, or have tested positive for COVID-19 and are currently isolating.

• People aged 2 and older who are not fully vaccinated should wear a mask in indoor public places.

• Consider wearing a mask even if you are fully vaccinated. Wearing a mask can help protect against breakthrough cases and help prevent the spread.

• People with weakened immune systems may not be fully protected even if they are fully vaccinated. If you are immunocompromised, consider talking to your doctor about getting an additional dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as well as what precautions you should continue to take.

Choose safer activities for children under 12.  

• Right now, children under 12 can’t get vaccinated against COVID-19. Until a vaccine becomes available for younger children, the best thing parents can do is to get vaccinated themselves.

• One of the easiest ways to make an activity safer for unvaccinated children age 2 and older is to ask your child to wear a mask. If accompanying adults wear masks as well, this may help normalize and encourage mask-wearing for children.

• Gather with family members and close friends who you know have been vaccinated. If all other attendees at an activity are vaccinated, the risk to unvaccinated children is low.

Choose the safest options for everyone. 

• Outdoor gatherings are generally safer than indoor gatherings. 
• Smaller groups are generally safer than larger groups.  
• Shorter gatherings are generally safer than longer gatherings. 

Mask Recommendations:

• Costume masks are not a substitute for masks that protect against COVID-19. Masks that protect against COVID-19 should be made from two or more breathable fabric layers that cover the nose and mouth, with no gaps around the face. Wear COVID-19-protective masks when indoors or if you are not fully vaccinated.

• If wearing a costume mask over a cloth mask  makes it hard to breathe, consider a themed cloth mask as part of the costume instead.

Hear it from the students:

“People might make creative ways to give out candy, so they won’t have to get too close to the trick or treaters. I think there will be less people giving out candy too, just because some people are too afraid to get exposed still.”

– Jack Schaden ‘25

“People will obviously be more wary about it, and I’m guessing parents would be a lot more protective of their children.”

-Camden Cox ‘25

“I am a little wary if people may be sick, and I don’t want to get sick, so I might wear a mask or something to protect myself.”

-Celina Salazar ‘25