How ridiculous is this? On the only holiday where masks are encouraged and enjoyed, the CDC says costume masks are not safe.
"Do not use a costume mask (such as for Halloween) as a substitute for a cloth mask unless it is made of two or more layers of breathable fabric that covers your mouth and nose and doesn't leave gaps around your face," the website reads.
A costume mask can protect against spreading the coronavirus if it's like a regular cloth mask: two or more layers of breathable fabric covering the nose and mouth, without gaps around the face.
And what about masks? A costume mask is no substitute for a cloth mask, according to the agency, but don't double up with one over the other because that can make it hard to breathe. Instead, consider a Halloween-themed cloth mask, the CDC suggests.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has therefore released fresh recommendations on how to safely celebrate Halloween. No big surprise: they say it is not suggested to have classic door-to-door trick-or-treatments and crowded, boozy costume parties.
The CDC's guidelines group Halloween activities into lower-risk, moderate-risk, and higher-risk buckets.
Indoor haunted houses where individuals are crowded and screaming are very dangerous, which may send contagious particles flying. Going on hayrides with people in rural areas who are not in your household or fall festivals often carries a chance of transmitting the COVID-19 virus. And the CDC warns that using alcohol and drugs "can cloud [judgment] and improve risky behaviors," although this is equally true in any season.
The agency says this way of trick-or-treating poses a moderate risk (compared with the higher risk of the traditional style): Kids could pick up individually wrapped gift bags at the end of a driveway or yard while still preserving social distance.
You could also organize a small outdoor costume parade where everyone is 6 feet apart. An outdoor costume party would also be considered moderate risk if people wear masks and stay 6 feet away from each other.
The CDC's lower-risk activities include carving pumpkins with your household, or outdoors with friends while socially distanced. It also suggests a Halloween scavenger hunt: looking for witches, spiderwebs, and black cats outside houses while walking around — or a scavenger hunt for treats in your own home.
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