Halloween is one of the holidays that teens look forward to the most—dressing up with friends, having costume parties, and eating as much candy as possible. But what does Halloween look like during a pandemic, with hand sanitizer ready at hand and protective masks instead of costume ones? Although an untraditional Halloween may not sound as exciting, this year there needs to be some sort of change in order to have a safe Halloween that follows CDC guidelines. But what exactly will Halloween look like for teens this year? 

For many teens, Halloween usually means costume parties, but with the rules of social distancing, having big parties is not the best idea. Instead of having big parties, teens can host small gatherings of friends to hang out with in outdoor spaces. Friends should bring and wear masks and can stay six feet apart to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. 

If teens do decide to go out on Halloween, they will have to wear masks and maintain a distance of at least six feet from others. According to the CDC, those that go trick or treating should not wear costume masks, but rather wear COVID-approved masks. Wearing a costume mask as a substitution does not provide maximum protection against the virus, and wearing both costume and COVID-approved masks will make breathing difficult.

In an attempt to reduce the spread of germs, people have been creating little bags stuffed with candy for each trick-or-treater, and have even been using candy chutes or cannons to give out candy. Regardless, everyone should wash their hands after trick-or-treating and before eating candy to wash away germs. The CDC recommends that trick-or-treaters bring hand sanitizer with them, with a minimum of 60% of alcohol, to use after coming into contact with people and objects.

Even though movie theaters are open in New Jersey, it is never a bad idea to reduce exposure to the virus by staying at home, where there are still plenty of movie-related activities for teens.  Apps such as Zoom and Netflix Party allow teens to watch movies with their friends through a shared link and enable them to chat about the movie. 

Safety is the main priority for this Halloween, but Halloween doesn’t need to be traditional to be fun! Watching scary movies with friends online instead of in theaters and purchasing candy from a store instead of going trick or treating are great ways to enjoy Halloween safely. While it will not be a traditional Halloween, it is still possible to experience the Halloween spirit.