Best Halloween Safety Tips for Jersey City Families
Halloween safety has long been a concern for families with young kids. However, in 2020 Halloween safety reaches beyond not running into the middle of dark streets or making sure Mom checks your candy. Coronavirus has made it so we need to take extra precautions to make this a fun and safe holiday.
Corn Mazes, Pumpkin/Apple Picking and Hayrides
These fun fall traditions have already started with many JC residents taking trips to nearby farms where they can enjoy more rural activities. Any farms that are offering hayrides must be limiting the amount of riders in each cart so they can sit safely distanced apart.
As for being out in corn mazes and picking apples or pumpkins, this is a bit safer as most people aren’t getting too close to the other patrons. But that doesn’t mean you should remove your mask! Keep it on, as there may still be some closer contact with people passing by one another in the patches or trying to find their way out of the maze.
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MASKS!
“We’re wearing masks anyway!” you might say. After all, masks have always been an integral part of Halloween, so that part is done, right? Unfortunately not. The Jason and clown masks you may have purchased likely have openings around the nose and mouth that enable germs to escape. Since they don’t offer the same protection as face masks we have been wearing to limit the spread of covid, more precautions much be taken. So whether or not a mask is a part of your costume, you must make sure a face mask that covers the nose and mouth is a part of your and your child’s ensemble (unless said child is under two) if you enjoy any Halloween festivities.
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Trick-or-Treating and Trunk-or-Treating
While the most anticipated tradition of Halloween is typically enjoyed by children in large groups of friends, this year it’s best the kids only go with members of their own household, or just one other friend. While trunk-or-treating has become a popular activity in recent years as it’s perceived as a safer than trick-or-treating, this year the traditional door-to-door candy seeking is safer, as it will involve contact with fewer individuals. However, if you do decide the trunk route, make sure you and your children keep distance from the other families enjoying the event. Whether you’re going door to door or car to car, parents should make sure their children are vigilant about their masks and wash their hands before stuffing sweets into their mouth or touching their faces.
For those people planning to provide candy to the neighborhood kids, you must also take precautions. While it may be tempting to just leave a “self-serve” bowl this is not recommended–and not just because there’s always one greedy kid who takes the whole thing! Leaving candy like this will guarantee many children stick their hands into it, thus increasing the spread of germs. Instead, answer the door while wearing your mask, and consider putting together individually wrapped bags of candy. If you have one, you can try the clever internet trend of attaching a PVC pipe to the bannister of your stoop to slide candy into the bags of waiting kids, while properly socially distanced.
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Haunted Houses and Parties
If you enjoy being scared, haunted houses are probably one of your favorite parts of Halloween. This year, try to find haunted attractions that occur outside or as drive-thru’s, as it will be safer than inside an actual “house” or building. As for Halloween parties, it’s still a risky choice to attend any party that involves more than a few friends or family members. If you do agree to a party, only attend those that are outside and have less than twenty or even a dozen guests. Avoid shared snacks or games like bobbing for apples. To be safest, skip out on parties this year all together.
Halloween at Home
Naturally, the safest course of action this Halloween would be just hanging out at home. You can get yourself and your family some candy or make special treats, carve pumpkins, dress up, and watch scary movies. There are also a variety of virtual Halloween events, parades and contests that are taking place this year on Zoom. Those with young children can even look up various games to play at home with them, have them search for candy throughout the house more like an Easter Egg hunt, or have them go to every door in the house to collect various treats.
Making the Best of Halloween
This year has arguably been the most frightening in many of our lifetimes, but on October 31st we can make being scared feel fun. Just make sure you still take the same precautions we have been taking to stay safe this Halloween, and hope for a more “normal” spooky season in 2021! Unsure what to dress as this year for All Hallow’s Eve? Check out our article on costumes inspired by events and pop culture of 2020!
Check out these Jersey City Halloween Events on our calendar & comment if you know more! For events outside of JC, here are statewide Halloween events.
Author: Tracie Koehnlein
Tracie is an animal shelter worker who loves books. When she's not working for or talking about animals she may be writing or binge watching fantasy shows and movies.
