Anonymous wrote:Ugh a very close friend who we see for outside play dates asked us to come to ver for a small Halloween party inside with maybe another family, but usually one turns into two to three. I’m absolutely heartbroken I am on the fence about it. I need parties, I’m sorry I’m just a party person, but have been pretty strictly limiting everything since March. So is this a no? My heart is saying no, but part of my head is saying they are all practicing social distancing so maybe just once....

Anonymous wrote:This is the hill I will die on this year. My 7 year old loves Halloween more than Christmas. She has been looking forward to this for months. She started talking about her costume in March.

That said, we want to be safe. We'll mask up and take plenty of hand sanitizer. Will stay away from other groups of trick or treaters.

I can't decide if I'm just gonna put ziploc baggies full of treats on a table near my front door while my kid and I are out or if I'm going to impale the treats on skewers and put them around my lawn? Either way, keep your lights off, haters, we're doing this!

Anonymous wrote:I thought a bowl of candy might be medium risk because multiple kids might dig through the bowl at once. I think this list is nonsense. Wear masks, don't go into haunted houses, and stear clear of groups. I'll leave a bowl like I usually do and will take my kids around the neighborhood. We'll probably prioritize houses with a bowl out front. But we'll have butterfly nets with us for distanced trick or treating.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: So, a scavenger hunt is low risk, but grab and go candy is medium? Covid is not spread on scavenged items but is on candy wrappers?

Is there proof of this?

My understanding is that the scavenger hunt that is low risk is done among family members who live under the same roof.

Anonymous wrote: So, a scavenger hunt is low risk, but grab and go candy is medium? Covid is not spread on scavenged items but is on candy wrappers?

Is there proof of this?

Anonymous wrote:The Virginia Department of Health notes in interim guidance that setting out grab and go bags at the end of the driveway is a “moderate” risk activity.

https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/news/2020-regional-news-releases/health-officials-recommend-celebrating-halloween-safely/

Wish DC/MD/VA would coordinate a bit more on this kind of guidance for consistency sake.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in Alexandria. The city and health department have recommended against any form of TOT - even with masks, social distancing and one-way TOT that the CDC provided guidelines on. We are not planning to have our kids go TOT but it seems the neighborhoods are gearing up for TOT. And DH seems to always have a (not unfounded) fear that our house will be egged or the screen door will be kicked in if we do not provide treats. So, my thought for now is for us to stay inside, set out goody bags on folding chairs spaced out on the lawn, provide plenty of hand sanitizer, and from time to time replenish the goody bags as they are taken. Does this sound reasonable?

So has the DC government. Or more specifically, they label it moderate risk. So, of course, I read it as "recommended against", but all the 2020 YOLO parents who cannot fathom their kids missing ONE Halloween, read it as "safely" (see the post above "moving forward" with "not-rocket-science decision" to "keep the [day of the dead] alive." "safely."

Same PP.
No, I don't think leaving goody bags on folding chairs outside sounds reasonable, simply because it's encouraging the "moderate risk" behavior that I would rather discourage.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in Alexandria. The city and health department have recommended against any form of TOT - even with masks, social distancing and one-way TOT that the CDC provided guidelines on. We are not planning to have our kids go TOT but it seems the neighborhoods are gearing up for TOT. And DH seems to always have a (not unfounded) fear that our house will be egged or the screen door will be kicked in if we do not provide treats. So, my thought for now is for us to stay inside, set out goody bags on folding chairs spaced out on the lawn, provide plenty of hand sanitizer, and from time to time replenish the goody bags as they are taken. Does this sound reasonable?

So has the DC government. Or more specifically, they label it moderate risk. So, of course, I read it as "recommended against", but all the 2020 YOLO parents who cannot fathom their kids missing ONE Halloween, read it as "safely" (see the post above "moving forward" with "not-rocket-science decision" to "keep the [day of the dead] alive." "safely."