Parents planning for a safe Halloween

Rochester, New York – A mother of a 3-year-old boy, Kayla Bascom, is excited her son Brady will have a normal Halloween this year.

“I feel like not a lot of people were handing out candy last year, but I think it’s going to be a lot better this year,” she said.

According to Bascom, when they’re outside, Brady won’t wear a mask with his costume.

Health leaders say it’s safe to trick-or-treat this year, but to be careful, non-the-less.

According to Monroe County Public Health Commissioner Mike Mendoza, parents should be cautious about celebrating indoors, especially if they have young children that aren’t vaccinated yet.
“If you’re coming in from trick-or-treating, we ask parents to keep an eye on their youngsters, wear masks indoors if there are people from outside the home visiting. Outdoors is more safe, less likely to transmit,” said Mendoza.

Some families are continuing traditions they started during the pandemic. Last year, Taylor Winslow turned his driveway into a COVID-safe haunted walkthrough for his two-year-old and kids from the neighborhood. He’s doing a walkthrough again this Halloween.

“Lots of places were shut down, like the haunted hay ride, the pumpkin patches, anywhere you could do the haunted walk throughs were closed cause of COVID,”

said Winslow. “We sticked to the guidelines, people came in, a couple at a time, everyone wore masks, it was a great time.”

According to the CDC if you’re giving out candy, the best practice is to wear a mask.