DC-area communities weigh Halloween traditions in the era of COVID-19

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - As with most cherished traditions, Halloween will likely look a lot different this year in order to adhere to health experts’ guidance in the era of COVID-19.

Los Angeles has already canceled trick or treating – but will the same thing happen in the D.C. metropolitan area?

Residents in Northwest D.C.’s Glover Park take Halloween seriously.

Download the FOX 5 DC News App for Local Breaking News and Weather

This time of year, they’d traditionally be planning their big Halloween block party.

And this year, Halloween falls on a Saturday – which means parents won’t have to rush home from work to enjoy the festivities with their kids.

Unfortunately, though, it’s going to look a lot different since a lot of areas including the District are following strict COVID-19 guidelines.

“This year with COVID we don’t know what’s going to happen right now,” said Glover Park resident Allen Chester.

Chester – who’s better known as ‘Mr. Halloween’ in the Glover Park neighborhood said that so many kids were looking forward to the block party he’s been organizing for the past five years.

But with COVID-19 restrictions in place, he and his helpers are planning to take a different approach with some creative, but not impossible, ideas.

“A lot of people are talking about using a PVC tube to send the candy down to the tube and then have the kids open their bags and may be have a skull at the end to where the candy comes out of the mouth,” Chester said.

In some other communities, young people like Jessica Frady of Damascus are recruiting the help of their parents and high school friends by offering to drop off handmade Halloween goody bags for families who may not get to trick-or-treat.

“It’s going to be many kids’ first Halloween or might be their last Halloween and I really don’t want them to miss out on it,” Frady said.

But is Halloween trick-or-treating even safe to do while the virus rages on?

Dr. Amesh Adalja, Senior Scholar at Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security said the hallowed tradition in the time of coronavirus, just means covering up and cleaning your hands.

“Trick-or-treating seems to be one of the relatively low risk activities because the contact that people have with each other is fleeting,” explained Adalja.

“People are going to be wearing face coverings almost by definition because of the parts many costume.”

Until then, Halloween lovers across the DMV are hoping to keep at least some festivities, which they believe are essential for maintaining some sense of normalcy.

“Halloween is about community and it’s about the kids coming out and having fun,” Chester said.

FOX 5’s Ayesha Khan also checked in with other surrounding communities.

Organizers for Alexandria’s well known Halloween event on South Lee Street said the annual festival is still in question.

Mary Anderson with the Montgomery County Health Department said they haven’t considering prohibiting trick-or-treating like Los Angeles has.