HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - In a year that’s already been a bit scary, Hallloween this month may be trickier due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The CDC spoke out last week, saying that traditional trick-or-treating may be too high-risk.
"There are still many different ways to safely celebrate Halloween," said Howie Beige.
Beige owns Rubie's, the largest costume retailer in the world, and is also a board member of the Halloween Costume Association, which put out the new website Halloween2020.org
"This website is very interactive: it goes by the area you live in and categorizes it by risk," Beige said. "There are green, yellow, orange and red zones."
On the website, you can hover over your county to see the trick-or-treating risk. Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Hampton and Newport News are in the orange and yellow zones. Mathews and Southampton Counties are in the red zone where trick-or-treating is not advised.
Once you establish your zone, you can then look at activities best suited for that area.
"You can do garage trick-or-treating to establish distance, trunk-or-treat out of a car, Zoom parties, costume parties, maybe a neighborhood parade or family pet parade," Beige said.
Other recommendations include a neighborhood scavenger hunt, face mask party or trick-or-treating with masks and gloves on to encourage social distancing.
We spoke to Norfolk and Virginia Beach officials, who say it's too early to establish trick-or-treat guidelines. Cities around Hampton Roads are waiting to see what public health officials and the Governor recommend.
"We want everyone to have a very fun Halloween, quite frankly, and we hope to be the break people are looking for but also be safety-conscious," Beige said.
