As positive COVID cases begin to arise again in Will county, Halloween poses a threat to those looking to participate in trick-or-treating.

According to The New York Times, there have been 6,116 new cases in Will county alone as of Oct. 28. This is more cases than ever before recorded in Will County since the start of the pandemic, and the trend is looking to continue upwards as America goes into its winter season.

However, many parents and children are reluctant to follow the CDC guidelines of wearing masks, gloves, and social distancing in the belief that they  are too strict, along with the studies that younger children are less likely to contract the disease. While there’s no way to enforce these guidelines, there are other routes candy-passers can take to prevent the spread of COVID.

One idea is for candy-passer to make Halloween baggies instead of having kids pick from bowls, that way the spread of germs is limited between kids. This may take more time to assemble and can get expensive depending on how populated of a neighborhood one lives in, but it is better than nothing. Another option could be to have X’s on the driveway and have kids be socially distanced in a line while candy-passers bring the candy to them.

It’s not just the children that need to be looked out for; those who chose to pass out candy should be taking precautions as well. When seeing someone approaching the door, they can leave candy on the doorstep and close the door, ensuring that no one passing out candy comes in contact with those who don’t wish to follow the guidelines. Another could be to toss out candy from a distance; however, this is not ideal for smaller children and toddlers who are participating. Setting up stations outside with plastic window boards are also acceptable and will fend off little spit-spraying, germ infested, candy-hungry monsters from bringing COVID to the property.

Parents who let their children go out to trick-or-treat should consider washing candy wrappers before allowing their children to eat it. As always, look for any wraps that may have been opened or look contaminated and throw them out. Once those have been filtered out, put the candy wrappers in a strainer and rinse with cold water and a soap covered rag. Yes, some wrapping may deteriorate with the water, so be sure to hand wash each piece carefully.

The safest option during these special social holidays is to stay at home; however, this may be difficult for younger children who enjoy celebrating the spooky holiday. Some safe alternatives for both children and adults during Halloween are pumpkin carving, a family costume party, socially distanced corn mazes, hiding candy throughout the house, and scavenger hunts.

While the holidays should be cherished and celebrated every year, cases are beginning to rise again, and priorities should be considered. Halloween can be an unforgettable night with family and friends, but so can the loss of those family and friends due to ignoring safety measures.