City of Asheville COVID-19 Guidelines for Halloween 2020

Asheville -- City of Asheville: Guidelines for Halloween: Any scenario in which many people gather together poses a risk for COVID-19 transmission.

Local officials and organizers of Halloween activities should create and implement a plan

to minimize the opportunity for COVID-19 transmission.
It is strongly recommended that alternative Halloween activities, instead of the traditional door-to-door
trick-or-treating, be increased as much as possible. The guidance below, adapted from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention’s Halloween Guidance, outlines lower and moderate risk activities, as
well as the higher risk activities that should be avoided to help keep our communities safe.
Please consult the NC DHHS Fall- Related Events Guidance for outdoor activities at farms, pumpkin
patches, haunted houses/trails, and agritourism events.
Lower Risk Activities
• Carving or decorating pumpkins with members of your household and displaying them
• Carving or decorating pumpkins outside, at a safe distance (more than 6 feet apart), with
neighbors or friends
• Decorating your house, apartment, or living space
• Doing a Halloween scavenger hunt where children are given lists of Halloween-themed things
to look for while they walk outdoors from house to house admiring Halloween decorations at
a distance (children should stay within their household groups)
• Having a virtual Halloween costume contest
• Having a Halloween movie night with people you live with
• Having a scavenger hunt-style trick-or-treat search with your household members in or
around your home rather than going house to house
Moderate Risk Activities
• Encourage no or low touch trick-or-treating
• Line up individually wrapped goodie bags for families to grab and go while continuing to social
distance (such as at the end of a driveway or at the edge of a yard)
o If you are preparing goodie bags, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20
second before and after preparing the bags.
NC DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
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Interim Guidance for Halloween Events – September 25, 2020
• Place individual pieces of candy spaced out on a table for families/children to take themselves
• Gently toss candy to trick or treaters from 6 feet away
• Use a “candy chute” or tube to pass along candy from the porch to trick or treaters standing 6
feet away
• Reverse trick or treat where children dress in their costumes and stay at their house or front
yard house and neighbors walk or drive by to drop off candy
• Having a small group, outdoor, open-air costume parade where people are distanced more
than 6 feet apart
• Attending a costume party held outdoors where protective masks are used and people can
remain more than 6 feet apart
• Having an outdoor Halloween movie night with local family friends with people spaced at
least 6 feet apart
o If screaming will likely occur, greater distancing is advised. The greater the distance,
the lower the risk of spreading a respiratory virus.
o Lower your risk by following CDC’s recommendations on hosting gatherings or cookouts.
Higher Risk Activities
Avoid these activities to help prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19:
• Participating in traditional trick-or-treating where treats are handed to children who go door
to door or children take candy from a shared bucket
• Having trunk-or-treat where treats are handed out from trunks of cars lined up in large
parking lots
• Attending crowded costume parties held indoors
• Using alcohol or drugs, which can cloud judgement and increase risky behaviors
Other Recommended Actions:
It is recommended that Halloween event organizers:
❑ Consistent with Executive Order 163 - coordinate with local law enforcement to ensure mass
gathering limits(no more than 25 individuals indoors and 50 outdoors) and the 11pm curfew
on alcohol sales and mask requirements are enforced.
❑ Consistent with the Governor’s previous Executive Orders, local governments may consider
additional measures or restrictions in their efforts to limit large gatherings, enforce mask
mandates, or otherwise reduce the risk for viral spread and to keep their communities safe.
❑ Remind families, if they do more traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating, to leave space
between themselves and individuals from other households. Encourage families and
participants to stay at least 6 feet apart, and to minimize large groups of families trick-ortreating at the same time. NC DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
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Interim Guidance for Halloween Events – September 25, 2020
❑ Remind families and participants to wear face coverings when they are or may be within six
feet of another person, especially if coming to the door or standing on the porch where social
distancing is difficult to maintain.
 A costume mask (such as for Halloween) is not a substitute for a cloth mask. A costume mask
should not be used unless it is made of two or more layers of breathable fabric that covers the
mouth and nose and doesn’t leave gaps around the face.
 Do not wear a costume mask over a protective cloth mask because it can be dangerous if the
costume mask makes it hard to breathe. Instead, consider using a Halloween-themed cloth
mask.
❑ Encourage families and participants to use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol after
touching shared objects or coughing and sneezing.
❑ For organized events, provide hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol for participants, and
tissues with trash receptacles for coughing or sneezing.
❑ Families and participants should be encouraged to self-monitor for symptoms such as fever,
cough, or shortness of breath and be aware that a person can become infectious before they
become ill, or without becoming ill. If they develop symptoms, participants should stay home.
More information on how to monitor for symptoms is available from the CDC.

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