Will You Take Your Kids Trick-Or-Treating This Year?

The director of the CDC says it’s perfectly fine, under the right conditions.

David Dee Delgado/Getty Images/Getty Images
By  Dennis Lee

The COVID-19 pandemic has sure put a damper on indoor activities, but outdoor ones seem to be working out okay. Provided there's distance between people and you're not puffing your used air into other people's faces, that is. CBS program Face the Nation asked CDC director Rochelle Walensky a big question that's sure to be on parents' minds this fall, just as it was last year: Should kids go trick-or-treating this Halloween?

"If you're able to be outdoors, absolutely," Walensky responded, adding, "Limit crowds. 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 we can do that this year."

I'm not a parent, but I'm sure Walensky's comments are a ray of hope for many. Trick-or-treating is a delight, no matter how old you are, even if now and then you get shitty candy in your cool jack-o'-lantern bucket. On the other hand, there are a lot of kids who aren't vaccinated yet (the 12 and under age group), and likely won't be by Halloween. I'm guessing some parents want to be extra cautious for various reasons. Keeping kids far enough apart on a fun holiday like this one is probably not only difficult, but heartbreaking too.

A press release sent to The Takeout by the National Confectioners Association has also informed us that 82% of people are confident that they will find creative and safe ways to enjoy Halloween, regardless of circumstances. The survey results also indicated that 93% of millennial parents are planning on participating in some form of Halloween celebration this year. That's a large majority of families, and probably an enormous sigh of relief for candy manufacturers.

Even as an adult, I'm wondering if I'll be getting invites to Halloween get-togethers. If I do, they will probably all be outdoor events. I'd feel okay with that. But how about you? Parents, how are you feeling? Will you be taking your children out for trick-or-treating this year?

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