Pediatricians: Trick-or-treating is safe this season

While families wait for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to also OK children being vaccinated, many will wait not to trick-or-treat on Sunday.

Local pediatricians say that there is no reason why families should stay home for the holiday.

"This is an activity I can endorse because trick-or-treating is an outdoor activity. [Children] are staying outdoors and going house-to-house and staying on the porch," said Dr. Lori Langdon, a pediatrician with Harnett Health.

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National health experts have also voiced support for families going trick-or-treating after a year of cancelations due to the coronavirus pandemic.

This is a time that children love. It's a very important part of the year for children," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said earlier this month.

Children and parents said they're happy to be back out for the scary tradition.

"It feels great ... the air is open and everyone is being very kind tonight," said a parent trick-or-treating near Wendell Park,

Families are encouraged to trick-or-treat with people from their household or in a small group, stagger start times so not everyone is out at once and wash hands thoroughly before eating candy.

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Langdon noted that Halloween could be the last holiday before children can be vaccinated for coronavirus.

"We may be administering vaccine to children 5 to 11 when you think about the holidays coming up [and] how much more comfortable we can feel this holiday season," she added.

Langdon recommends that people handing out candy should stay masked up and leave plenty of room for children to pick up the treats.

During the height of the pandemic last year, people created candy bags, candy chutes and candy cannons for trick-or-treaters.