ATLANTA — What does a candy sharing, door-to-door holiday look like during a pandemic? Emory Healthcare of Atlanta has offered some tips to help parents keep their kids safe during Halloween.
The annual sugar rush of a holiday littered with tricks and treats presents a different challenge this year. Parents will want to protect their little ones from ghouls and goblins, the occasional stomach ache from an over indulgence of candy and, of course, COVID-19.
Channel 2′s Lori Wilson spoke with doctors at Emory have put together some tips to help parents navigate this holiday, making it both fun and safe for their families.
“There’s lots of different ways we can make it fun and not be transmitting COVID and other respiratory viruses during this time,” said Dr. Colleen Kraft, associate chief medical officer at Emory University Hospital.
HALLOWEEN 2020:
- Halloween 2020: Tips for staying safe while still having fun
- Halloween 2020: What is country’s favorite candy
- What do purple pumpkins mean this Halloween?
Kraft and other doctors recommend wearing masks, staying socially distant and attending small “trunk or treat” events with close family and friends.
“The basic principles are the same when we think about Halloween and the activities around Halloween. So we want to be masked, we want to be socially distanced, if we’re not in each other’s sort of quarantine bubble.”
If you choose to go the more traditional route of door-to-door festivities, experts say to wear gloves of “food service" quality and use hand sanitizer.
Kraft also suggests one more idea about most kids’ favorite part: if you can, set your bag of candy aside for a night.
“I’m not necessarily advocating wiping down candy treat wrappers, but just trying to make sure that there’s some cleanliness involved," she said.
Following these rules should allow you and your family to have a safe and enjoyable holiday.
This browser does not support the video element.