Halloween is my favorite holiday. From hordes of children dressed in creative costumes rushing from house to house with plastic pumpkin bins and pillow cases gathering pounds of candy to hiding behind interlocked fingers while binging another scary movie with family and friends, there’s something different in the air with Halloween.

But this year, it won’t just be cotton spider webs or fog machine smoke in the air that we need to be careful of. COVID-19 has changed much of 2020 and how we go about our daily lives, and this Halloween is going to be no different. According to the CDC, many Halloween traditions can be high-risk because of how the virus spreads.

But fear not my fellow ghosts and ghouls, there are several safer ways the CDC recommends to participate in this year’s Halloween:

Low Risk Activities

• Carving or decorating pumpkins with members of your household
• Carving or decorating pumpkins outside, at a safe distance, with neighbors or friends
• Decorating your house, apartment, or living space
• Having a virtual Halloween costume contest
• Having a Halloween movie night with people you live with
• Having a scavenger hunt-style trick-or-treat search with your household members in or around your home rather than going house to house

Continue to keep yourself safe this Halloween. Remember, the CDC recommendations for protecting yourself are:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
• Avoid close contact by maintaining a social distancing of 6 feet
• Cover your nose and mouth with a mask
• Clean and disinfect

There are some really fun and creative options of following CDC recommended ways of keeping yourself safe and still celebrating the holiday. Here’s an idea that I’m all too happy to share with you. You can wear a COVID-safe mask, proper rubber gloves, and still be quite scary – a zombie doctor!

You’re welcome.