Halloween 2020 was a little different this year. Almost everything 2020 has been different, from any holidays, school, and just 2020 by itself. We’ve adapted to all the difficulties that this year has thrown at us, so let's talk about this year's Halloween.

Some cities were forced to have rules and regulations for Halloween this year due to the global pandemic. St. Louis cancelled their annual Trick-or-Treat Soulard due to concern of the possible spread of COVID-19. Dr. Fred Echols, Director of the City of St. Louis Department of Health, suggests to have a socially distanced trunk-or-treat, or drive by peoples’ houses to get candy instead of walking.

In Aurora, Missouri, instead of the trick-or-treating hours being 4:30 PM to 7 PM, they open from 3 PM to 7 PM to allow for social distancing. Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin asked those handing out candy to wear gloves and consider doing individual bags of candy. “Face masks and social distancing will be required for both trick-or-treaters and those distributing candy,” Irvin said.

For the people not wishing to trick-or-treat, but still wanting to do something, the city of Aurora also hosted a “drive-thru” where citizens could drive through and collect candy from city departments. This allowed for a safer trick-or-treating experience.

In suburbs like West Chicago, all events on city-owned property were cancelled throughout the rest of the year, which includes Halloween festivities like downtown trick-or-treating. However, at the time this article was written, city officials in suburbs like Elgin said no decision was made on whether trick-or-treating would continue this year or not.