Thanks to widespread vaccination, trick-or-treating is safer this year than it was in 2020. The Whatcom County Health Department, in keeping with DOH and CDC guidance, considers trick-or-treating a low-risk activity provided a few precautions are observed.
Since COVID-19 is still in our community, trick-or-treaters and their chaperones should take the following steps to limit the possibility of infection:
Some precautions should also be observed by anyone handing out candy to trick-or-treaters:
Unlike trick-or-treating, Halloween parties are only considered low-risk if everyone in attendance is fully vaccinated. The safest gathering is virtual, the second safest is vaccinated, and the third safest is outdoors. Indoor social gatherings with unvaccinated people from multiple households in attendance are the least safe. Those who choose to gather indoors with unvaccinated people from more than one household should wear masks, stay 6 feet apart and keep the windows open. For more information about safer gatherings this holiday season, visit DOH’s Gathering Safely Once Vaccinated page and the CDC’s Holiday Celebrations page.