News Flash

COVID-19 2020 Trick-or-Treating Guidelines

On September 22, 2020, the CDC released guidelines for holiday activities. The CDC has determined that traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating is a higher-risk activity. The CDC recommends that individuals and families avoid higher-risk activities as much as possible. While the Village of Olympia Fields is not encouraging trick-or-treating, the list of guidelines below should be reviewed along with the CDC's recommendations before choosing to participate. 

Not all families will feel comfortable participating in trick-or-treating this year; teach children not to ring the doorbell if a light is not on. Participating in trick-or-treating is a personal choice for each family, and neighbors may choose differently from others based on their own comfort levels. All trick-or-treaters - young and the young at heart! - are encouraged to be respectful of their neighbors' decisions to participate in trick-or-treating or not. Should your family choose to trick-or-treat, please carefully review the guidelines below.

• Do not participate in trick-or-treating if you feel unwell or if someone in your house is unwell if you are awaiting COVID-19 test results, if you have recently returned from travel to a hotspot state, or if you know that you have been exposed to COVID-19.
• Turn on your porch lamp or outdoor lights to show that your home is welcoming trick-or-treaters. 
• Consider using a motion-activated noise maker to notify you when trick-or-treaters are at the door, such as a motion-activated Halloween decoration, rather than having trick-or-treaters ring the doorbell, which can be a high touch-point.
• Face coverings should be worn by all participants over the age of two, including individuals passing out treats. 
• Avoid close contact with others by leaving candy on your porch – or even physically-distanced on your lawn (see below for a list of ideas)! Instead of manning the door, man the windows and wave at kids as they visit.
• If you would prefer to answer the door to greet children individually, pass out candy instead of inviting children to take a treat from a communal bowl. Ask children to tell you their choice of a treat, rather than taking it themselves. 
• If preparing goodie bags, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after preparing the bags.
• Individuals should use hand sanitizer regularly throughout the trick-or-treat hours.
• Do not trick-or-treat in groups with others; trick-or-treat as a household.
• Maintain a safe distance from other trick-or-treating groups and do not approach a house until the previous group has left.
• Consider distributing treats other than candy, which parents can then sanitize before giving to kids: stickers in cellophane packaging, pencils, mini pumpkins, erasers, etc.
• Please refrain from distributing coins or cash.
• Please do not distribute homemade treats or fresh fruits.

Creative Ways to Distribute Treats

If you would like to avoid trick-or-treaters coming to your door, but would still like to participate, consider passing out treats using the following physically-distanced ideas: 

• Create a grab-bag candy walk on your lawn: place candy inside recyclable paper lunch bags so each child can simply pick up a bag of treats.
• Hang treats from a clothesline at children's height.
• Mark a safe distance from your door using chalk and ask children to stand behind the line before you open the door to pass out candy.

Halloween Face Coverings

Per the CDC, a Halloween costume mask is not a substitute for a cloth mask or face covering. A costume mask should not be used unless it is made of two or more breathable fabric layers that cover the mouth and nose and doesn't leave gaps around the face. 

The CDC does not recommend that individuals wear a costume mask over a protective cloth mask, because it can be dangerous if the costume mask makes it hard to breathe. Instead, the CDC urges individuals to wear a Halloween-themed cloth mask.