You’re right that one kid and their parents going door to door, wearing a mask and interacting very briefly with masked homeowners, isn’t terribly risky.

But think about what Trick or Treat usually looks like in neighborhoods with lots of kids and easy access to houses: multiple groups of kids and adults, crowding on doorsteps and sidewalks, hanging out chatting on porches and in yards, in many places sharing beverages and treats for parents as well. That’s the kind of thing that could easily become a superspreader event within a neighborhood, especially if adults are unmasked to eat and drink. Or if kids want to eat that favorite candy bar, so they take their mask off, and maybe share it with a buddy while mom and dad aren’t looking.

In other words, the official guidance isn’t about individual risk, it’s about public health.

Anonymous wrote:These decisions have a lot to do with who is lobbying. Trick or treating does not generate big business so they recommend against it, but you can bet all the bars will be open and celebrating Halloween.

Public health is not the main factor driving what is supposedly ok or not. Leadership can just pretend they’re doing something by shaming people taking part in a fairly low risk activity—but still allow people to spend money at bars.

We will be taking part by putting candy out at the end of our walk and waving from the porch.

meh, it's an $8-9 billion business. The restaurant industry collects about $2.46 billion a day. But I do understand your point about the parties, but don't see what that has to do with my kids collecting candy. I bought 70 pieces this year and this thread makes me think I need more!

https://www.thebalance.com/halloween-spending-statistics-facts-and-trends-3305716
https://www.restaurant.org/research/restaurant-statistics/restaurant-industry-facts-at-a-glance

Our neighborhood is doing ToT a bit earlier so not when it's totally dark. Seems like most people will set up at tables outside, and everyone will be wearing masks. Seems like a very reasonable way to do this. We're all outdoors and masked up.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:why can't my kids go door to door but most people are doing take out and the drive thru (I am too)? If someone is sick, I hope they dont go to work and I hope they wouldn't answer the door. In both cases, everyone is masked. One is done outside and the other in a building. One I am in front of someone for a few seconds and the other I could be in a store for 5-15 minutes. The main difference is I can "quarantine" the candy but I will immediately eat the take out.

I don't really have an opinion about the trick or treating, but "If someone is sick, I hope they don't go to work and I hope they wouldn't answer the door?"

A. Yes, people who work minimum or near-minimum wage jobs with no paid sick time go to work all the time not feeling great and convince themselves it's "just allergies" because they can't afford to lose a day's pay and p*ss of their boss, who may retaliate via future scheduling if they dare to call out (common in these types of jobs)

B. More importantly, how is it that people still don't understand that up to 40% of transmisisons are PRE-symptomatic -- people who are positive, but don't have symptoms yet and have no reason to think they are "sick." Masks are important, but they are far from foolproof.

+1

Because people aren't walking around their house with a mask on at all times. When someone opens their door, there is an immediate waft of air exchange. If someone in that house is contagious with covid and you are standing right in from of their door when it opens; it is a virus cloud coming out.

Anonymous wrote:why can't my kids go door to door but most people are doing take out and the drive thru (I am too)? If someone is sick, I hope they dont go to work and I hope they wouldn't answer the door. In both cases, everyone is masked. One is done outside and the other in a building. One I am in front of someone for a few seconds and the other I could be in a store for 5-15 minutes. The main difference is I can "quarantine" the candy but I will immediately eat the take out.

Hahahahahahahaha. Low-wage food service workers routinely go to work when they are sick, because they don't get paid if they don't go to work, and they might lose their jobs.

Anonymous wrote:These decisions have a lot to do with who is lobbying. Trick or treating does not generate big business so they recommend against it, but you can bet all the bars will be open and celebrating Halloween.

Public health is not the main factor driving what is supposedly ok or not. Leadership can just pretend they’re doing something by shaming people taking part in a fairly low risk activity—but still allow people to spend money at bars.

We will be taking part by putting candy out at the end of our walk and waving from the porch.

This makes a lot of sense

I don’t know, OP.
Kids seem to be getting the brunt of this even though they are the least likely to spread infection and the least likely to get sick. It’s probably, mostly, because we can force them.

Trick or Treating strikes me as safer than going to the playground, going to target, or playing on a sports team, all of which kids are doing in droves. I fail to see how any spread is likely from kids picking up candy from a table at the end of my driveway while I watch from 10 feet away while wearing a mask is an issue.

My child will TOT. He won't go up to doors, only those who are out in the driveways but it sounds like that's what most in my neighborhood are doing.

No activity is risk free. It’s about risk vs benefit. Keeping restaurants open is vital for the economy. Celebrating Halloween in a traditional manner is not. It’s just one day, and finding a socially distant way to celebrate isn’t a huge deal. I think encouraging people not to trick or treat as usual will cut down on before and after parties, and generally help folks remember that these are not normal times. It is very hard to control mask wearing and distancing just out on the street as opposed to in a park or store. The last thing you want to do before flu season starts is seed more chains of infection for no good reason.

I agree with you. My kids have been asking the same thing especially since a lot of people in previous years just set the candy outside anyway.

These decisions have a lot to do with who is lobbying. Trick or treating does not generate big business so they recommend against it, but you can bet all the bars will be open and celebrating Halloween.

Public health is not the main factor driving what is supposedly ok or not. Leadership can just pretend they’re doing something by shaming people taking part in a fairly low risk activity—but still allow people to spend money at bars.

We will be taking part by putting candy out at the end of our walk and waving from the porch.

I agree, OP. We’re extremely cautious, more so than others. We’ve socialized three times since March, each time from like 10 feet away and in masks outdoors, no eating or drinking.

But I scoffed when I saw that trick or treating is supposedly a huge risk. How is it that different from walking or exercising outside, which is encouraged? There are ways to make it extremely safe, as well. We planned on putting individual bags of candy on our steps or using a chute.

Our leadership is ridiculous. So trick or treating is not ok— but indoor dining is, bars and concerts at smaller capacity are. and now school is?...Makes no sense.

Anonymous wrote:why can't my kids go door to door but most people are doing take out and the drive thru (I am too)? If someone is sick, I hope they dont go to work and I hope they wouldn't answer the door. In both cases, everyone is masked. One is done outside and the other in a building. One I am in front of someone for a few seconds and the other I could be in a store for 5-15 minutes. The main difference is I can "quarantine" the candy but I will immediately eat the take out.

I don't really have an opinion about the trick or treating, but "If someone is sick, I hope they don't go to work and I hope they wouldn't answer the door?"

A. Yes, people who work minimum or near-minimum wage jobs with no paid sick time go to work all the time not feeling great and convince themselves it's "just allergies" because they can't afford to lose a day's pay and p*ss of their boss, who may retaliate via future scheduling if they dare to call out (common in these types of jobs)

B. More importantly, how is it that people still don't understand that up to 40% of transmisisons are PRE-symptomatic -- people who are positive, but don't have symptoms yet and have no reason to think they are "sick." Masks are important, but they are far from foolproof.

My neighborhood in Bethesda is doing TOT. It's been requested that kids only go out for 1.5 hours so people who are participating can be outside to hand out candy, or leave it at the curb during that time, and respect houses who have lights off. For the person concerned about security, surely you can turn your porch light off for a couple of hours in early evening.

My kids are too old for it but I have no problem with kids TOTing this year. Maybe it helps that our zip code is among the lowest infection rates.