Have Fun While Staying Safe

Spooky season is here! Here are some tips and tricks for your trick-or-treating celebrations.

  • Plan costumes that are bright and reflective. Consider adding reflective tape or striping to costumes and trick-or-treat bags for greater visibility.
  • Wear a properly fitting face covering. A mask that comes with a costume does not suffice as a proper face covering.
  • Make sure that shoes fit well and that costumes are short enough to prevent tripping, entanglement, or contact with flame. 
  • Look for "flame resistant" on the costume labels. Wigs and accessories should also clearly indicate this. 
  • Avoid any sharp or long swords, canes, or sticks as a costume accessory. Your child can easily be hurt by these accessories if he or she stumbles or trips.
  • Do not use decorative contact lenses without an eye examination and a prescription from an eye care professional. While the packaging on decorative lenses will often make claims such as “one size fits all,” or “no need to see an eye specialist,” obtaining decorative contact lenses without a prescription is both dangerous and illegal. This can cause pain, inflammation, and serious eye disorders and infections, which may lead to permanent vision loss.

If you plan to stay home this year and hand out goodies to neighborhood children, the District advises these tips:

  • Remove tripping hazards to keep your home safe for trick-or-treaters.
    Keep the porch and front yard clear of anything a child could trip over such as garden hoses, toys, bikes, and lawn decorations.
  • Check outdoor lights and replace burned-out bulbs.
  • Sweep wet leaves from sidewalks and steps.
  • Provide grab-and-go goodie bags instead of individual pieces of candy.
    Or leave candy on the porch for contactless trick-or-treating.

Parents are encouraged to give their children a good meal prior to parties and trick-or-treating to prevent overindulgence on candy. Keep an eye on what your child has in his or her mouth while trick or treating.

Halloween & COVID-19: Have Fun While Staying Safe

Think outside

  • Try to stick with outdoor trick-or-treating in small groups. The virus is much less likely to spread outside than in poorly ventilated indoor spaces. Keeping a safe distance from others outside your household is another good way to reduce risk. Make sure your children know to avoid large groups of kids clustering at doorsteps or anywhere else the goodies are being handed out.
  • If you give out treats, consider sitting outside and lining up individually prepackaged goodies on a table for children to take. Non-edible treats are a good option, especially for children who suffer from food allergies.

Mask up indoors

  • If your children do attend an indoor trick-or-treat event or public festivities, be sure everyone wears face masks and observes safe physical distancing. Universal masking indoors continues to be important, since children under 12 years old are not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccines. There may be a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated children, teens, and adults at these events, and mask use reduces the risk of transmission of the COVID virus.
  • When children get home with their haul, remind them to wash their hands before eating any treats.

Making masks part of the costume

  • Encourage your kids to use their face masks as part of their costume (think surgeon or superhero!). However, be wary of painting the masks since some paints contain toxins. And keep in mind that a costume mask is not a substitute for a mask that has multiple layers of breathable fabric, or a disposable surgical-style mask, that covers the mouth and nose snugly. Also, do not wear a costume mask over a COVID face mask, because it can make breathing more difficult.