Danny de Gracia: How to make this Halloween a treat by celebrating safely

At the moment, Oahu seems to be going in a good direction with regards to Covid-19 with decreasing positivity rates.

With the Food and Drug Administration slated to approve the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5-11 as early as next week, we could finally see the end of the pandemic roller coaster ride and return to normal once our final gaps in coverage close.

We’re so close to defeating Covid – but with Halloween only days away, parents should be careful not to subject unvaccinated Keiki to risky activities.

In this pandemic, I recall a line from the Ridley Scott film, “Body of Lies,” which featured the fictional head of the CIA’s Middle East division laments the war on terror: “With every reported death we are dealing with a development in public opinion that quickly slips from supportive to negative to downright hostile. People just get fed up with the moments of silence while playing ball. They just want to be told it’s over. “

Covid has tested and burdened our community in a similar way. It is an understatement to say that many of us experience pandemic fatigue from loss of loved ones, strict pandemic rules, and numerous victims or inconveniences. People just want to go back to having fun and not worrying about illness, and the occasional holiday or seasonal celebration is often seen as an opportunity for much-needed relief.

At times like these, reluctance can make the difference in the use of our health resources and the spread of disease among our most vulnerable populations. Yes, we all deserved the right to have some fun after everything we’ve been through, but with young Keiki still not vaccinated against Covid, this Halloween has the potential to spread the disease and get another boost to kindle when we’re not careful.

Even if we shouldn’t cancel everything due to the ongoing pandemic, the American Academy of Pediatrics has some recommendations for children below the age of approved Covid vaccination, which provides parents with Halloween event best practices that limit the risk of virus exposure.

Some of the safer ideas of the AAP include restricting trick or treating to smaller groups, using individually prepackaged candy bags that lie on a table, or wearing masks and social distancing. And while this may sound boring at face value, Oahu parents celebrating Halloween with their Keiki can definitely do this job in a way that is still fun and safe for everyone.

How to avoid a viral Halloween outbreak

I understand that as part of healthy development, children need to have fun and be out and about in the world. As a GenXer, my very first Halloween was in Makakilo in the 1980s, and unfortunately, many of the things we’ve done at parties or trick or treating over the years just aren’t workable, in the middle of a pandemic. But where tradition fails, modern technology and new activities can take their place for a safer yet fun Halloween.

1. Try supervised outdoor Halloween parties

While sending out unvaccinated keiki tricks or door-to-door treatments puts an increased risk of the spread of Covid, parents should consider hosting a small outdoor party that is socially distant and where young children are prepackaged, individualized Bags of sweets, healthy snacks, or safe toys.

In this regard, Keiki can still see his friends face to face, they won’t go home empty-handed, and they can participate in safe activities with less risk of spreading Covid. If parents have a big screen TV or digital projector, this is a great opportunity to watch kid-friendly Halloween movies (my personal favorites are “Garfield’s Halloween Adventure” and “It’s the Big Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”) or for those with storytelling skills They even read books or tell scary stories.

2. Limit trick or treating to a small number of households with agreed safety precautions

Parents can also choose to leave it trick or treating, but perhaps restricting it to a smaller, closer group of households that agree to certain safety precautions. This may include picking up securely wrapped candy on an outdoor table for Keiki to take away, or accompanying vaccinated adults or vaccinated teenagers with unvaccinated children and picking up candy for them from other vaccinated individuals.

3. Consider distant Halloween activities

This may seem the boringest of them all, but the safest of all events to celebrate Halloween is remote events held via Zoom, FaceTime, or other telepresence platforms. At this type of event, parents can compensate for the lack of face-to-face contact by preparing special gifts or treats to be sent to attendees in advance, or they can create telepresence activities that maximize the child’s development, such as trivia, take turns reading or let Keiki show off their costumes and talk about what Halloween means to them.

For my part, I don’t think Covid has to be an eternal plague that somehow limits us all for the rest of our lives. If anything, we are very close to the virus and in addition to permanent recovery here on Oahu if we take the right precautions.

Our unvaccinated Keiki are still at risk for the time being, but if we hold out just a little longer, we can weather this pandemic forever. Oahu parents should try their best to limit exposure of their unvaccinated keiki this Halloween, and let’s all have delicious treats, but no viral surprises, this weekend.