Trick or Treating

Headless Horseman actor stands before a wagon as visitors ride the Headless Horseman attraction at Conner Prairie on Oct. 4. Photo by Riley Gearhart.

Information about fall activity safety rankings from the CDC. Infographic by Riley Gearhart.

Trick or tragedy

Fall activities put participants at risk

Riley Gearhart gearhril000@hsestudents.org

Halloween, for Americans, is one of the most celebrated holidays among youth and teenagers, according to The Guardian. Even in the walls of Fishers High School, you can hear students talking about how thrilled they are for it to be colder outside and when they plan to start going to pumpkin patches. About 25% of the Fishers population goes trick-or-treating every year according to IndyStar, as it is ‘Indiana’s best trick-or-treating town.’ While these activities have been longstanding fall traditions, they need to end this year due to COVID-19. The CDC recently released a list of fall celebration activities ranking them as low, moderate or high risk. However, Indiana is not encouraging the same guidelines as the CDC while in Stage 5 of the reopening plan. According to the Back on Track Indiana plan, some of the guidelines for Hoosiers include wearing a mask and maintaining a distance of six feet when in public. While helpful, these guidelines are not sufficient enough and should be the same as those from the CDC. This will make it easier for everyone to know what rules should be followed, especially with the Halloween season approaching. As fun as trick-or-treating may be, it is not worth risking our health and the health of everyone else. According to the CDC, the coronavirus spreads through respiratory droplets that someone may inhale or that may land on them. This creates a large risk of germs being spread through people either passing candy to one another or simply being within close proximity of one another. There is no way to know where the candy has been or where the people have been. Similarly, there should not be any large fall or Halloween events this year, such as indoor haunted houses or costume parties. These events also create a great risk of spreading the coronavirus, as it would be difficult to socially distance and some people may not be wearing masks. I am not saying that this Halloween season should be entirely different. I know that I would love to be able to enjoy all of these activities this fall. Unfortunately, the coronavirus has prevented us from doing most activities the way that we typically would, including Halloween. However, enjoying some of the CDC’s recommended lower risk or even moderate risk activities can still be a great way to celebrate, as long as everyone wears a mask and maintains social distancing. The city of Fishers has released a list of events open to the public that will be free and safe. The Boo Bash is Oct. 31 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater and will provide a one-way trail for kids to trick or treat along, with masks being required. Conner Prairie will be hosting their annual fall festival every Thursday through Sunday night in October (except for Halloween night), where a variety of activities, including their Headless Horseman hayride, will be offered. Every attendee will be required to wear masks, and guests will have to buy tickets for the Headless Horseman hayride in advance. With the safer alternatives provided in our community this Halloween, we should take advantage of them and not participate in traditional activities that may put us at risk for contracting the coronavirus.