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The Centers for Disease Control's stance is that trick-or-treating is safe for kids this year. As such, with the proper precautions, kids can participate in the holiday tradition similar to year's past, bringing home a large bag of candy to sort through and enjoy some of on Halloween night and in the days after.
According to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, trick-or-treating can be done this year for all ages, which is a welcome relief to kids who had to miss out on the festivities last year. However, as Walensky said on Face the Nation, some safety guidelines should be followed to ensure that going out to collect candy does not lead to the spread of the coronavirus, specifically that of the Delta variant.
The first recommendation that Walensky made to safely trick-or-treat is to go outdoors to do so. This allows for great ventilation and social distancing from group to group going up to houses to collect candy.
Another recommendation made was to steer clear of "crowded Halloween parties," per the weekend morning show.
"I wouldn't necessarily go to a crowded Halloween party, but I think that we should be able to let our kids go trick-or-treating in small groups, and I hope that we can do that this year," Walensky said.
The recommendations have been made given that the prime audience for trick-or-treating is unable to be vaccinated at this time.
According to Insider, since the emergency use authorization of Pfizer's vaccine was issued by the FDA, 64.6 percent of kids 12 to 15 have been vaccinated. However, given that this generally is not the group that goes out to collect candy on Halloween night, there is still a large population of children who are at risk for contracting COVID if trick-or-treating is not done safely.
While there was hope that a vaccine would be made available for kids ages five through 11 before Halloween, according to The New York Times, this does not appear to be possible. This is because the FDA will not even be meeting on whether to approve an emergency use authorization for the COVID vaccine for this demographic until October 26. However, their decision is expected shortly after Halloween, which means that by Thanksgiving, a good percentage of this age group could be vaccinated should parents choose to vaccinate their children.
Until that happens, however, according to MarketWatch, the best way for kids to remain safe this year is to not come in direct contact with those passing out candy, make sure to trick-or-treat outdoors, look for houses where treats are available to grab out of a bowl versus being handed out or individual bags have been assembled, wear a mask, and wash hands after returning home.
By following these guidelines, the hope is that kids and parents alike can enjoy the tradition of trick-or-treating all while keeping the spread of COVID under control.
Source: Insider, MarketWatch, Face The Nation, The New York Times