Halloween won’t be the same this year for kids living in Los Angeles County. Officials have mandated that no trick-or-treating take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As revealed by ABC 7 on September 9, Los Angeles County has released a list of guidelines to the general public about Halloween festivities. This list of restrictions prohibits “door-to-door” trick-or-treating, as well as “trunk-or-treating” (wherein families would go from car-to-car to collect candy instead of people’s homes,) “parties, festivals, live entertainment or haunted houses.”
Trick-or-treating, a practice with ancient origins, became a staple in American culture after World War II. History wrote in 2019 that Halloween was the second biggest holiday in the country and that Americans spend over $2.5 billion on Halloween candy alone.
Even though there won’t be standard trick-or-treating in Los Angeles, there are a few permitted activities for those who would like to keep the spirit of the holiday alive.
Health officials are permitting online contests, car parades that adhere to guidelines for vehicle-based parades, halloween movie nights at drive-in theaters, halloween-style meals at outdoor restaurants and decorative installations at outdoor museums. Each activity comes with its own set of rules that must be adhered to in order for them to take place.
According to the county’s public health website, 439 new COVID-19 cases were reported on September 8. A whopping 249,241 cases have been reported since the beginning of the pandemic, while the total number of those who have succumbed from the virus has reached 6,036.
The age adjusted death rates have largely affected Black and Latinx communities, as well as those living in poverty.
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