COVID-19 Halloween: What the risks are and how to celebrate safely

Just like last Halloween, many Canadians are hesitant to open their doors to trick-or-treaters. Experts say risks are lower this year, but stress continued caution.

With the threat of COVID-19 still looming, Canada’s Halloween on Sunday will once again look and feel quite different this year.

The day was scaled down and observed with caution across the country last year, but not completely cancelled.

As children get ready to go trick-or-treating door-to-door and adults gather for Halloween-themed parties, experts say the risk of COVID-19 transmission is lower this time around due to greater vaccination coverage. But precaution is needed to avoid a spike in cases.

“The risks are different this year in that most people are vaccinated and so we do have a much lesser risk for a lot of the older folks who might have been worried last year about opening their homes to kids,” said Dr. Fatima Kakkar, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at the CHU Sainte-Justine in Montreal.

Kakkar said she does not expect a rise in pediatric cases, but infections among adults may increase in the weeks following the spooky weekend due to planned indoor gatherings.

“The ideal is to have masks and to limit the number of people and to really avoid the big Halloween parties because we’re not at that stage yet where we can do this without any kind of restriction,” she said.

Costume masks should not replace surgical ones, Kakkar said, but also double-masking should also be avoided as it may make it difficult to breathe. Incorporating the face mask into your costume is the way to go, she said.

Kakkar also cautioned against painting or drawing over the masks to make them more colorful as this can release toxins and fumes which can be hazardous if inhaled.