Ohio COVID-19 Guidance For Halloween

OHIO COVID-19 GUIDANCE FOR HALLOWEEN

This guidance is designed to help curb the spread of COVID-19. For additional precautions, please see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance here.

For Parents/ Caregivers

• For trick-or-treating, limit the number of houses you visit and ask your children to stay as far from treat-givers as possible. For small children, consider holding the bag for them.

• Wipe off candy wrappers with sanitizing wipes when you arrive home.

• Allow children to eat only factory-wrapped treats. Avoid homemade treats made by strangers.

• If your child is at greater risk of complications from COVID-19, contact your doctor before allowing participation in Halloween activities.

Instead of trick-or-treating, recommendations include:

• Holding a drive-through or drive-in trick-or-treat event, with children in costume and face coverings staying in cars and collecting treats from individuals spaced at least 6 feet apart.

• Holding drive-by costume or car-decorating contests with judges who are physically distanced.

• Decorating your home and hide treats as an alternative to trick-or-treating.

• Holding costume parties or pumpkin carving events or contests online, such as by video conference.

• Holding a Halloween scavenger hunt, giving children lists of Halloween-themed things to look for while they walk outdoors from house to house.

• Holding a scavenger hunt-style trick-or-treat search with your household members in or around your own home.

• Having a Halloween movie night with people you live with or having an outdoor Halloween movie night with local family friends and people spaced at least 6 feet apart. If screaming will likely occur, greater distancing is advised.

• Hiding treats outside your home as an alternative to trick-or-treating.

For community members:

• For trick-or-treating, reach out to neighbors to discuss ways to ensure 6-foot social distancing, how candy can most safely be distributed, and the need for face coverings.

• Refrain from having children select their own treats from a bowl/common container or set up a hand-sanitizing station.

• Consider lining up individually wrapped goodie bags on porch steps, a table in the driveway, or the edge of the driveway or yard with a sign asking children to take only one. Or use other creative ways to distribute treats, such as using a candy “slide” made of PVC pipe, or hanging treats from a wall or fence.

If you are preparing goodie bags, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 second before and after preparing the bags.

For Operators of Events/ Attractions

• Follow all state requirements and guidelines for Consumer, Retail, Services & Entertainment sectors, as well as any local requirements or guidelines.

• Do not allow groups to intermingle. Reduce capacity to allow for 6-foot social distancing between groups as well as employees/volunteers at all times. Reinforce distancing with markers or dividers.

• Have hand sanitizer readily available to all participants.

• Pre-sell tickets to ensure capacities are limited.

• Consider eliminating common seating areas or play areas where children and others might congregate. If seating is provided, keep it outdoors, separate benches/tables by at least 6 feet or use dividers, and sanitize between each use.

• Notify your local health department immediately if you learn that someone with COVID-19 has visited your attraction.