Washington County Weekend Post

Every year, you count down the days until Hal- loween. You love selecting costumes for your whole family, indulging in all your favorite treats and celebrat- ing with friends. But this year is different - while you long to celebrate the holiday to the fullest, you also want to make choices to keep your family and your community safe. Like many Halloween enthusiasts, rather than for- going beloved traditions altogether, you are coming up with creative, out-of-the- box ways to celebrate safely and keep everyone healthy this season, but you still need some guidance. The Halloween and Costume Association, The Hershey Company and other partner organizations have joined forces to provide guidance on how best to celebrate Halloween safely this year. The Halloween Safety guidelines - available on Halloween2020.org - are consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Holiday Celebrations Guidelines and include a color-coded COVID risk level map, provided by the Harvard Global Health Institute. "Families and policy- makers need clear and con- sistent information when it comes to COVID-19 risks to inform decision-making, including how to participate safely in the upcoming Halloween holiday and trick-or-treating activities associated with it," said Dr. Ingrid Katz, Infectious Diseases Expert, and Associ- ate Faculty Director at the Harvard Global Health Institute. "Through our interactive COVID risk level map, we hope to provide parents a reliable source to help them celebrate the Halloween holiday in the most safe, fun way possible according to the risk level in their community." With most of the country in the moderate risk catego- ry, it's likely that many communities and families will find new ways to celebrate this year, includ- ing neighborhood trick-or- treat drive-ups, reverse trick-or-treating and neigh- borhood or backyard candy hunts. These creative cele- bration ideas allow for fun and safety to remain a top priority. "Halloween is more important than ever this year as we navigate the new normal together and are seeking opportunities to cel- ebrate safely. We're inspired by the public-private part- nerships and groups coming together that all have a shared value of celebrating Halloween safely," says Chuck Raup, president, U.S., The Hershey Company. The takeaway: There are many fun and safe ways to celebrate this Halloween season, from carving pump- kins to having Halloween- themed movie nights with your favorite Halloween treats like Hershey's, Reese's and Kit Kat. continued on page 4A 2A • WASHINGTON COUNTY POST • SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2020 GMTODAY.COM Your guide to fun fall activities Halloween 2020 is on: Guidelines to celebrate in a safe and fun way

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