Halloween Hesitancy: Will It Be Safe For Children To Trick-Or-Treat This Year?
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - While adults are transfixed on the election next Tuesday the youngest among us are zeroed in on Saturday – Halloween.
But, with rising cases of COVID-19, is trick or treating really advisable?
We have seen people getting very creative with candy chutes and candy ziplines, the ways to get candy to the trick or treaters are all over the place.
But when we asked Dr. David Agus, a CBS Medical Expert from the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine if he would send his kids door-to-door his response was simple.
"No! Because, again, I don't know the behavior of others, they're knocking on doors where people may or may not be wearing a mask, they're gonna see other children from multiple neighborhoods where they may or may not be living by these strict methodologies that I really believe in, science believes that," he said.
Dr. Agus goes on to explain, "You know what we don't understand is that if a 15-year-old gets the virus and is minimal or not symptomatic he or she can have effects in the lungs and the heart that may last a lifetime. And so we really have to protect as many as we can from this virus till science comes through with the vaccine which is not that far away."
Parties are an even bigger risk he says, especially if they are held indoors.
Whether it's a children's or adult's party, you are in closer contact with people for longer periods of time. He says anyone going to a party should wear a mask the entire time they are there.
WATCH: Safety Tips For Trick-Or-Treating
Understanding that people are going to trick or treat and party the Centers for Disease Control recommend the following:
- Wear a mask
- Avoid direct contact with other trick or treaters
- Avoid direct contact with people giving out candy
- Treats should be given outdoors
- Set up a self-serve station
- Wash hands before handling candy
You can find more about the CDC recommendation on their website.
