mouth and nose and fit snugly against the sides of the face without gaps.
In areas with high numbers of COVID-19 cases, everyone should wear face masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Parents need to remember that a costume mask is not a substitute for a cloth one to protect against COVID-19 transmission.
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Tips for after trick-or-treating
After kids return from trick-or-treating, they should wash their hands, and parents should inspect their candy to ensure that packaging is not ripped or torn and nothing has been tampered with. The nonprofit children’s health organization, The Nemours Foundation, says to stick with wrapped candy; fresh fruit is easily tampered with and may be covered with bacteria that could make your child sick. Throw away homemade treats.
“The best way to protect children from COVID-19 is to start at home and make sure everyone in the family who is eligible to be vaccinated gets the vaccine,” Kirkilas says. “This adds a layer of protection, along with masking, for those too young to be vaccinated and helps provide peace of mind that everyone in the family can enjoy a safe and healthy Halloween.”
Besides COVID, the following tips will also keep your child safe during Halloween:
Always Keep Your Eyes on Your Children
The No. 1 cause of injuries on Halloween night is accidental falls from tripping over hems of costumes, steps, curbs, or unseen objects, according to the National Safety Council. But even more startling is that four times more children are killed annually in pedestrian/automobile accidents on that holiday night than on any other night of the year, reports the CDC.
“The most important thing on Halloween is that children are escorted and watched. They have a great potential of running from in front of or behind a car,” says Richard Douglas, a Lewisville, Texas Police Department community relations officer. “We prefer that the young ones are in from trick or treating before dark.”
Indeed, the CDC reminds parents that the return from daylight saving to standard time lengthens the period of darkness and that a number of other factors could put children in the path of a car. These include their short stature, inability to react quickly enough to avoid a car or evaluate a potential traffic threat, lack of impulse control, and distractions because of shouts from other children, eye-catching costumes, and urges to acquire the best candy.
“Children are so excited on that night that they aren’t