From trick-or-treating to hayrides, here's what's safe and not safe this Halloween

Kids' attentions are naturally turning to thoughts of Halloween and what they'll be on the evening of Oct. 31. But can Halloween even happen?

The state recommends that fall-related activities that take place on farms across the region, including giant slides, bounce houses and jumping pillows, remain closed this season. To ensure social distancing, it also limits occupancy for pumpkin patches, apple orchards, animal attractions and retail areas to 50% of the state fire capacity or 12 people per 1,000 square feet if there is no fire code number.

Flu, COVID-19 and Halloween: How to prepare for a triple-threat this fall

To make sense of it all, I checked in with Emily Sickbert-Bennett, director of infection prevention at UNC Medical Center, for some pointers as parents consider how they'll celebrate Halloween this year.

"My big picture message is that it does give us an opportunity to really reflect on what it is that is most exciting about Halloween to us and our families," Sickbert-Bennett said. "With all traditions, there are a lot of things that continue year to year, but they hold different meanings for different family members. In my household, it's been interesting asking my kids what is their favorite part of Halloween and then really trying to figure out the safe way to make that piece happen as opposed to just going about all of the usual routines without some conscious thought about which activities hold the most meaning."

For example,, while her son loves to get candy, he's not a fan of trick-or-treating. So he'll invite a few friends over in the backyard to celebrated Halloween, and Sickbert-Bennett will have candy for them.

Here's how Sickbert-Bennett recommends approaching popular fall and Halloween activities during COVID-19.

These attractions should be following state regulations which limit capacity, allowing for social distancing between groups. But, she said, if you go, wear a mask — even if you're outside, where virus particles can disperse more quickly and you have more room to distance yourself from others.

"If you're going to a public setting where people from multiple households are congregating, it is important to have your mask on," Sickbert-Bennett said. "We talk about a mask and distancing like a belt and suspenders. They work together. It's another added layer. And especially if there are other families and you're not sure what their behavior will be or they are erratic in their movements or have small children who can't keep their masks on, it's really important to have those masks in public."

Indoor haunted houses, which the state has said must remain closed, aren't a good idea, Sickbert-Bennett said. "It's dark. You're bumping into people," she said. "You can't even see how your body is moving and getting close to others. And then, certainly, screaming could generate more droplets than just everyday breathing and talking."

Outdoor ones, Sickbert-Bennett said, pose a bit less risk, but she recommends caution. "Any activity that is happening in the dark is just a setting where you need to be aware that it's going to be difficult to physically distance if you really can't see well," she said. "And even if you can see well, the people who are near you may not be able to see you as well in the dark. I would say absolutely masking outdoors in the dark."

Hayrides present some challenges because several families are typically packed close together, and it's unlikely you can keep your distance from them. Same goes for giant slides, bounce houses, jumping pillows and corn cribs where kids play in a pile of corn kernels.

On these attractions, people may be standing or playing near others or their activity is erratic and it's hard to not come into close contact with others, Sickbert-Bennett notes. One way to limit that would be to allow household groups to schedule their own times on the attractions, so they're only coming into contact with themselves. But, if that happens, keeping hands clean would be important in case a previous guest was sick with COVID, she said.

Picking up the coronavirus by touching a contaminated surface and then moving your hands to your mouth while eating a snack, for example, is considered a "secondary mode of transmission," she said, but it's still possible. So you'll need to be vigilant about keeping hands clean.

How risky trick-or-treating is depends on your neighborhood and how you hand out candy.

If you live in a neighborhood where dozens of kids line up at each house to get candy and you're walking among large crowds, trick-or-treating would be riskier. And if you love to talk to each trick-or-treater individually as you place candy directly in their bags, that also presents risks.

But trick-or-treating would be safer if you live in a neighborhood where you can keep your distance from others while going out and about for candy. And you face fewer risks handing out candy if you set up a table with candy, for example, at the bottom of your front steps and you sit six or more feet away at your front door while supervising the little Elsas and Yodas.

If you do choose to trick-or-treat, Sickbert-Bennett recommends sticking to your own neighborhood, wearing face masks and having hand sanitizer on hand to make sure hands are clean before any candy is eaten.

"This is something to really think about," Sickbert-Bennett said. "Assess how important is the act of trick-or-treating to your kids or are there other ways to achieve friends and candy or some sort of baked good."

And if you don't plan on handing out candy on Halloween night, be intentional about your porch lights.

"People who don't want to participate need to be very deliberate in their lighting on the outside of their home, so it's clear they don't want to be bothered, and people need to respect that," she said.

Local doctor says children can safely celebrate Halloween, go trick-or-treating

Think of trunk-or-treats, where kids pick up candy from the trunks of vehicles in a parking lot, in the same way as trick-or-treating. If the cars are parked far away from each other, allowing for participants to avoid close contact, they'll present less risk than an event where vehicles and people are bunched up together, Sickbert-Bennett said.

Currently, no more than 50 people can gather outside together, according to North Carolina's rules, and Sickbert-Bennett said it's important that we all abide by that. But she said smaller outdoor gatherings with a handful of families within your bubble — kids your children play with or your running buddy — are not a bad idea. Just stick to outdoor gatherings where you can keep your distance.

"The final step before serving it can take care of a lot of things that can happen during the processing of the food," she said.

Of course, any activity you do within your own household is safe. So enjoy all of the the pumpkin carving, apple bobbing and Halloween decorating you can muster with your own family. At my house, we splurged on a few more Halloween decorations.