State medical expert gives tips for a COVID-safe Halloween

Montana’s Lead Communicable Disease Epidemiologist Stacy Anderson provided tips for people looking to celebrate Halloween safely amid the COVID-19 pandemic at a press conference held by Gov. Steve Bullock Tuesday.

Anderson said with the holidays coming, people in Montana need to be aware that traditional forms of celebration can create a risk of spreading COVID-19, and as the state's surge continues, they need to be safe for the sake of those around them.

"We're not going to take your holidays away," she said, "but what we want to try to encourage people to do is to be diligent and to do these things safely, so that we can continue to celebrate the holiday's with our loved ones."

She said the normal guidelines from public health still apply on Halloween, and people should be wearing masks, washing their hands frequently and thoroughly, sanitizing oft-touched surfaces and staying home if they are sick or quarantined as a close contact.

"All of us like seeing the little ones outside in their costumes, we all love our chocolates," she said. "But keep in mind that if you are sick, please stay home."

Anderson said getting an influenza vaccination is also in people's best interest as the flu season is getting underway.

"These things will keep other people in our community safe," she said.

Anderson said while there are restrictions people should be observing, there are still plenty of ways to have a good time while remaining safe if a little imagination is applied.

"Try to get creative," she said, " ... Try to think outside of the box for other things that you can do to celebrate the holiday and have fun while still keeping you and your loved ones safe."

She suggested movie nights with family and virtual costume contests as possibilities for safer celebrations.

Anderson said people shouldn't be going to large gatherings even in those areas of Montana where new restrictions on crowd size haven't been put in place.

As for trick or treating, she said there are ways to make that safer as well, since doing so without precaution is considered a high-risk activity by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

She said if someone decided to go trick or treating, they'd still need to wear a face mask, and that a Halloween mask is not a substitute.

Anderson suggested incorporating the mask into the costume somehow, but warned that wearing a cloth mask under a Halloween mask may be ill-advised as it can cause difficulty breathing.

Children younger than two, or people with pre-existing breathing conditions, should not be wearing masks at all for this reason, she said.

She also suggested people stay in a small group to limit their contacts while out trick or treating with their kids, and said it's preferable if the group be restricted to just family members.

Anderson said people should also maintain six feet of distance between their group and others and said, if they see someone is already at the door of a house, wait until they are done before approaching.

She said trick-or-treaters should try to keep interactions brief, and have hand sanitizer — the CDC recommends sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol — with them so they can sanitize between houses.

Parents should encourage their children to wash their hands before eating their candy as well, she said.

Anderson said people looking to hand out candy should also wear a mask, wash their hands in between visits if possible and maintain social distance as well.

Ultimately, she said, if treats can be bagged and left out for trick-or-treaters, that is preferable from a safety perspective.

The CDC's website also provides tips on holding Halloween actives safely, one of which is to do as many actives as possible, such as pumpkin carving and treat giving outside.

The website also breaks down various Halloween activities and their relative risk during the pandemic.

It says, things like pumpkin carving, decoration observation, candy scavenger hunts, virtual celebrations and family movie nights pose the least risk of spreading COVID-19.

Trick or treating, even when observing the recommendations above, is considered a moderate-risk activity, as are in-person outdoor celebrations, as well as visits to corn mazes and pumpkin patches.

High-risk activities include trick or treating without any precautions, trunk or treat events, crowded parties, indoor haunted houses, hay rides, or celebrations that involve leaving the community.

The website says attending events outside of town raises the chance of brining the virus into another community or vice-versa when returning.