We know that this whole year of 2020 has been a strange one. We're still dealing with the global health crisis that began in March, and although many of us had hoped all would be back to normal, that's not the case. We've had to cancel weddings, events, even school for some and learn now to balance working from home as well as virtual classes. For the kids, summer plans were pivoted, and now it's looking like the holidays, including trick-or-treating, are going to be impacted by the virus as well.
On Tuesday, public health officials for Los Angeles County announced a ban on Halloween for 2020.
Door-to-door trick-or-treating was banned "because it can be very difficult to maintain proper social distancing on porches and at front doors especially in neighborhoods that are popular with trick or treaters," the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health explained in a news release.
The public health officials also mentioned that "trunk or treating" events or gatherings and parties with nonhousehold members were banned. Officials felt the same for any outdoor events.
LA County also placed a ban on carnivals, live entertainment, haunted houses, and festivals.
Instead of these events usually enjoyed for Halloween, public health officials suggested fans of the holiday plan and organize virtual events and gatherings or organize a car party or parade where people stay in their vehicles.
Not the Halloween most people have come to know, right?
No one likes to miss out on traditions, but this year it may be necessary.
Most of us can understand and recognize the changes we've had to adapt to because of the global health crisis. Even the National Confectioners Association, which represents the candy industry, felt the ban was a good move in the name of keeping people safe.
"Across the country, this Halloween will look a little different for many people. Whether this means socially distanced trick-or-treating, more candy bowl moments at home with family and close friends, or just more time celebrating the season throughout the month of October, one thing is for sure — Halloween is happening," the association shared in a statement, according to The Hill.
The day after the county announced its ban, officials walked it back a bit.
Officials can't cancel or ban the holiday outright, and no one loves being told what to do, so they walked back the language on the stance regarding Halloween. On Wednesday, public health officials in Los Angeles subtly changed the language in its guidance.
"We are recommending that trick-or-treating not happen this year," Dr. Barbara Ferrer, the county's public health director, told CNN. "It's just not sensible in a pandemic," she said.
She explained that even though the door-to-door trick or treating is typically outdoors, there's no guarantee that people who open their doors to hand out candy will be wearing a face covering or that they're not sick and haven't touched the candy being passed out.
Although public health officials are firmly against it, the county said it wouldn't enforce the issue.
Many places have orders in place that can see people charged if they're breaking any pubic health directive. Still, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said deputies wouldn't be enforcing the issue.
"We're going to leave that alone. We want parents out there to practice some common sense," Villanueva said, according to CNN.
"By the time Oct 31 rolls around, let's see what the conditions are at that time. And if there's some type of trick-or-treating that will be permissible, that's going to be up to the public health experts on that," he added.
Los Angeles was one of the first counties to share its guidance on Halloween during the global health crisis. Others are likely to follow suit in suggesting people forgo typical celebrations to maintain physical distance and keep the safety of others top of mind.
