City Provides Guidelines For A Safe Halloween

Press release from the City of Evanston:

With COVID-19 still present in the community as Halloween approaches, the City of Evanston’s Health and Human Services Department is providing residents with public health guidance to celebrate the holiday safely this year.

The CDC offers a list of lower risk, moderate risk, and higher risk holiday activities. Community members are encouraged to celebrate with lower risk activities, such as pumpkin carving with members of their own household or outdoors at a safe distance with friends, virtual costume parties, holiday decorating, and outdoor Halloween movie nights. Reducing close contact with those outside of a person's household will reduce the risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19.

Trick-or-Treat

Evanston's official trick-or-treat hours are Saturday, October 31, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. To help families celebrate safely, the City's Health and Human Services Department is providing guidelines for trick-or-treaters, and reminding families of the importance of continuing to follow public health guidelines to protect their health and the health of others.

"Thanks to our community's collective efforts and adherence to public health guidelines, Evanston continues to limit the spread of the coronavirus by managing the rate of infections," said Evanston Health and Human Services Director Ike Ogbo. "Unfortunately, COVID-19 isn't going to take a break on Halloween. Therefore, it's critical that all residents remain vigilant about following public health directives and continue to exercise good judgment while participating in holiday celebrations and festivities, like trick-or-treat."

Guidelines for trick-or-treaters include:

• Wear a cloth face covering that covers your nose and mouth; a costume mask is not a substitute for a cloth face covering
• Maintain a six-foot distance from trick-or-treaters outside of your household
• Wash hands before and after trick-or-treating
• Bring hand sanitizer to use before, during and after trick-or-treating
• Limit the number of houses you visit
• Stay home if you're sick or if you may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19

Households that wish to accommodate trick-or-treaters are encouraged to place individual goodie bags in a designated location, such as on their porch, front yard, or stoop, for trick-or-treaters to pick up and go while continuing to social distance. Residents are advised not to place candy in communal bowls, as this can encourage congregation and contact with others. Those preparing goodie bags should wash their hands before and after preparing bags. Households not participating in trick-or-treat are encouraged to turn off their lights or place signage on their door to discourage unwanted visits.

Costumes

Community members are encouraged to wear costumes that allow face coverings to be worn over their nose and mouth, and will allow hand hygiene to be performed regularly. A costume mask is not a substitute for a cloth face covering, and should not be worn over a face covering. Those in costume should consider wearing a Halloween-themed cloth face covering rather than a costume mask.

Residents are also advised to avoid masks and costumes that limit or obstruct visibility. Those out after dark should fasten costumes with reflective tape and consider carrying a glow stick.

Gatherings

Those with underlying health conditions are strongly encouraged to stay home during Halloween festivities and gatherings. In addition, community members are encouraged to:

• Consider hosting gatherings outdoors; avoid indoor parties
• Keep guests to a minimum; gatherings are limited to no more than 25 people in accordance with IDPH guidelines
• Require guests to wear a face covering that covers their nose and mouth when a six-foot distance from others cannot be maintained
• Tell guests to stay home if they are sick

The City’s Health and Human Services Department reminds residents that guidelines and plans are subject to change based on the latest public health data. If Evanston's COVID-19 data changes significantly over the next month, the City may revise these guidelines.

For the latest COVID-19 information, visit cityofevanston.org/covid19 or call/text 847-448-4311. For convenience, residents may simply dial 3-1-1 in Evanston.

This press release was produced by the City of Evanston. The views expressed here are the author’s own.