Halloween during a Pandemic?!

It’s that time of year again. The leaves are changing and the air is chilly. Will there be trick or treating this year? What about haunted houses? This October people are wearing a different kind of mask–one to protect them from COVID-19.

Halloween will be very different from past years thanks to the pandemic. “This Halloween I will be going to a small party with my friends, but mainly just spending time at home with my family,” freshman Sami Sarenac said. “I have two asthmatic sisters, so while I’ll still be able to have fun, I won’t be putting them at risk.” 

Most haunted houses in the area are open but taking some additional safety precautions. The Hill Has Eyes, as the saying goes, has “four terrifying haunts for the price of one”, this time, Covid-19 edition. “I like going to HHE with my friends because it’s fun, but it is also scary,” junior Jaden Pedrero.

Seniors Sam Sommerfeld and Miguel Smith went to “The Dungeon of Doom” in Zion, IL. “The haunted house was insane,” Sommerfeld said. “Everything was super loud and they constantly tried to scare you.” 

Covid-19 does affect the experience of the haunted house. “I thought it was pretty scary, but Covid-19 made it feel less scary because seeing that actors wear masks made it feel less real,” Smith said. For Sommerfeld, the only thing that changed the experience was that he had to wear a mask.

Is anyone going trick or treating? What about parties? Pedrero will still go to parties and take his little sister trick or treating this Halloween. “I feel like there will be less people in the streets walking and less parties,” Pedrero said. “But that’s a good thing because we have to be safe.”

Freshman Gianna Riggs plans on going to a haunted house, trick or treating, and possibly a Halloween party while taking precautions.“I will probably go trick or treating because I want candy, however, I think trick or treating will be different because you’re taking candy from multiple strangers, and with the pandemic, it’s easy to make the virus spread rapidly,” Riggs said. “I’ll still do these things because I want to have fun while being safe,” Riggs said. 

There’s still fun to be had this Halloween, so check out your local haunted houses. Remember, wear a mask, stay 6 feet apart, and be safe!