Trick-or-Treating is Canceled In A Few Northeast Ohio Towns This Halloween

COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Ohio, but Cleveland has not canceled Halloween. Instead, city officials are  strongly discouragingresidents from trick-or-treating on Oct. 31.

Many counties in Northeast Ohio are currently in the red, or risk level 3. Cuyahoga County is at risk of becoming purple, or the highest risk level for Ohio counties.

Ohio Gov. DeWine will announce an update on the risk level of Ohio counties during a news briefing on Thursday.

A few small Northeast Ohio communities have already decided to cancel plans for Saturday.

Atwater Township, in Portage County, announced the cancelation of trick-or-treating on its Facebook page in September.

The reaction in the comment section ranges from jokingly suggesting they protest the cancelation by wearing costumes, to outrage over residents’ inability to decide for themselves.

Newburgh Heights Mayor Trevor Elkins said the response hasn’t been as bad in his city, where trick-or-treating is also canceled. 

“We’ve gotten some good feedback as well, where people have said, ‘Look we really appreciate the steps you guys have taken all through this process," he said.

There are typically some 600-800 children who participate in trick-or-treating, but only about 200 kids live in the community, he said.

Newburgh Heights held a replacement event last Saturday, where families were able to drive through town and get candy in a safer environment.

Local police will enforce the cancelation, Elkins said.

“We’re not putting kids in jail or anything like that,” he said. “What our intent is, is to have extra patrolmen on duty that evening.”

Two Summit County communities, Copley and Fairlawn, are letting neighborhoods decide how they want to handle trick-or-treating on Halloween.

In Trumbull County, Lordstown also canceled trick-or-treating. Warren also canceled but will hold a “Boo-Thru” event where families drive-through and sealed treats will be passed out.

CDCofficials say traditional trick-or-treating, where kids go door-to-door, is a high-risk activity when it comes to the spread of coronavirus.  The Ohio Department of Health also recommends minimizing risk by letting kids pick up treats from at least six feet away.

Even if your community is having trick-or-treating, that doesn't mean you should have a Halloween party to go with it, said Gov. DeWine. 

"Please reconsider hosting or attending gatherings of any size," DeWine said. "This includes with friends and extended family, people who don't live in your household. Two, think about canceling events. Certainly, don't go to Halloween parties. Wear masks inside and outside when you cannot social distance. Above the nose, over the mouth, secure over the chin," he said.

The CDC is also recommending the use of Halloween-themed cloth masks instead of traditional masks. Costume masks will not protect the user from the spread of the virus but the two should not be used together – the combination can make it difficult for kids to breathe, CDC officials are warning.