It’s officially spooky season! It’s inevitable that Halloween this year will look way different than what we are used to. With Coronavirus guidelines in effect, we may not be able to enjoy Halloween and the Fall season the same way this year. But nonetheless, our country has worked to find a way to enjoy it while staying safe.

Trick or treating, the Halloween tradition celebrated by younger kids (but of course not limited just to them) will look very different this year. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) considers trick or treating and indoor parties high-risk activities for spreading and contracting COVID-19. The CDC highly stresses adults to not host or attend parties but ultimately they can not physically enforce that. With that being said, it will be up to the millions of Americans to take agency and keep everyone safe.

An anonymous Allderdice student said, “I feel that many students including me, will end up going to parties and do various activities. I will try to stay safe and I hope others do the same. I mean like, we are only in high school once so I think I need to make the best of it. I just think that if people are going to go out, that they are [staying] smart and safe.”

That will be the deciding factor this Halloween and whether it may or may not contribute to the coming second wave of COVID-19 this fall and winter. Teens and young adults will be looking for a party and a good time but that may not be the best for everybody. To some extent, we should not let the virus change the way we live, but this may be a time where, for one year, we have to change how we celebrate Halloween. 

Socially distanced activities can still be done. Classic activities such as going to farms for pumpkins, apples, and more, can still be a good time this year. People are still unsure what trick or treating will look like but it is arguably possible to make it safer. By making wrapped gift bags, or eliminating a big bowl for kids to put their hands in, hopefully, kids will still be able to trick or treat.

Here are some guideline-following, safe, and fun Pittsburgh area Halloween activities that are still happening this year:

1. The ScareHouse
2. Ghost Tours
3. Gateway Clipper’s Halloween Cruisers
4. Hundred Acres Manor

Despite that virus and its limitations it has brought upon us, as a community, we should be able to still celebrate this wonderful and spooky time of year while staying safe.