Is COVID-19 Murdering Halloween?
By Jessica Singh ('22)
Even though COVID-19 is still spreading, Halloween plans are in motion. Scary, right?
Each year, hundreds of thousands of people crowd into theme parks and haunted houses to enjoy the spook-tacular day with friends and family. Businesses and theme park owners see this as a major source of revenue. Some are willing to take the risk and allow the festivities to continue this year, but only under a level of COVID health protocols. According to the LA Times, Audrey Eig, a representative for Universal Studios Hollywood, says that at the annual Halloween Horror Heights, Universal will continue to take precautions as advised by health officials to ensure the safety of their guests and employees. According to the MPR News, the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular at the Minnesota Zoo is also implementing practices to keep everybody safe. For their indoor trails, they require masks to be worn at all times by guests ages 3 and up. On the outdoor trails, masks are optional for now. They are also placing a limit on the hourly capacity.
Despite COVID-19 still raging on, Universal Studios offers up frightening delights!
Photo courtesy of Slashfilm.
Even though COVID safe procedures can be implemented successfully, other event hosts have decided to cancel their celebrations altogether. For example, as of October 9th, the Nyack Halloween Parade has been cancelled. According to Lohud News, coordinators of this event stated that it was cancelled due to concerns for public health. The mayor of the Village of Nyack says that this is not the village’s event, rather it is the Nyack Chamber of Commerce’s event, and the consensus there is that they are “not quite ready to do that level of gathering yet.”
At this time of uncertainty in the world, our top priority is our safety and health. Even if COVID-19 is still imminent, Halloween can still carry on! You can still host small parties with close friends whilst maintaining safe protocols, or even celebrate the horrific night with your family! However you choose to spend your Halloween, do so while keeping yourself and others safe. Happy Halloween!
Banner and cover photo courtesy of Today.com