CDC Recommends Against Traditional Trick-or-Treating This Halloween

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted nearly every aspect of life. People are encouraged to wear masks to help slow the spread of the disease, television and film productions were shut down early in the pandemic and are only now starting to slowly come back to life, movie release dates continue to be in flux, and none of that even remotely touches the economic impact or the loss of life. Now, as fall officially arrives and people start looking towards spooky season and other upcoming holidays it's clear that the pandemic is going to have a major impact on that as well. The CDC recently updated their guidance for holiday celebrations and they're recommending against traditional trick-or-treating this Halloween.

The guidance specifically notes that "many traditional Halloween activities can be high-risk for spreading viruses" and breaks down various celebrations by risk level. Lower risk activities include things like carving or decorating pumpkins at home with members of your household and displaying them or decorating your home or living space. Moderate risk activities include small group, outdoor, open-air costume parties that abide by social distancing guidelines. But it's the higher risk activities -- those that the CDC suggests celebrants avoid -- that will make many Halloween fans very sad.

"Avoid these higher risk activities to help prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19: Participating in traditional trick-or-treating where treats are handed to children who go door to door," the guidance noted. You can check out the complete listing of high-risk activities here.

While this advice is disappointing, it's not exactly a surprise. Earlier this month, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health initially banned door-to-door trick-or-treating for this upcoming Halloween due to COVID-19, though those guidelines were later revised to allow both trick-or-treating and "trunk-or-treating" events, though they were not recommended.

It isn't just trick-or-treating that's impacted by the pandemic, Halloween-wise, either. Universal's Halloween Horror Nights and Knott's Berry Farm's Halloween Celebration both were cancelled earlier in the summer. More than that, a recent report suggested that various Halloween cancellations could impact the sales some of Halloween's staples, such as candy and costumes.

What do you think about the CDC's recommendation? Will you be trick-or-treating this year? How has COVID-19 impacted your plans for Halloween Let us know your thoughts about the holiday and changes in the comment section.

Photo: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images.