Plainfield To Celebrate Halloween With Strict Safety Guidelines

PLAINFIELD, IL — With the ongoing pandemic, Halloween in Plainfield will look different this year. With that in mind and pending guidance from the Illinois Department of Public Health, the village announced safety guidelines for the day.

This year, trick-or-treating hours will be from 4-8 p.m. on Oct. 31.

Safety Guidelines:

• Residents should turn on their porch lights and consider contact-free options for giving out candies.
• Those that are feeling unwell, have recently returned from a trip to a hotspot state, have come in contact with someone that has the coronavirus or are awaiting test results from themselves, have been asked not to participate in trick-or-treating.
• Parents who take their kids out should have masks or face coverings on and incorporate masks in their children's costumes as well to contain the spread of the virus.
• Trick-or-treating should be done as a household and social distancing needs to be maintained.
• No one is allowed to enter the homes.
• All treats should be checked in a well-lit area and only unopened candies should be eaten.
• People are asked to carry a flashlight, glow stick or wear reflective tape to make costumes more visible to cars.
• Homes that do not wish to participate in trick-or-treating should keep their porch lights turned off. They can also print out the flyer prepared by the village and paste it on their windows to let others know. The flyer can be found on the village website.

According to CDC, the following are the higher risk activities that should be avoided during Halloween to help prevent the spread of the virus:

• Participating in traditional trick-or-treating where treats are handed to children who go door to door.
• Having trunk-or-treat where treats are handed out from trunks of cars lined up in large parking lots.
• Attending crowded costume parties held indoors.
• Going to an indoor haunted house where people may be crowded together and screaming.
• Going on hayrides or tractor rides with people who are not in your household.
• Traveling to a rural fall festival that is not in your community if you live in an area with community spread of COVID-19.

For more from CDC, visit here.

Trick-or-treating is just one way to celebrate Halloween. Patch has also compiled a list of the best area pumpkin patches for this year.

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