Tulsans Try To Balance Fun, Safety For Halloween Trick-Or-Treating

With Halloween right around the corner, new guidelines from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommend avoiding things like trick-or-treating and haunted houses.

Doctors said these things can easily spread COVID-19.

Some Tulsans have said they’re not going to let the pandemic ruin Halloween but will instead work to have fun with the holiday while keeping families who are trick-or-treating safe.

Heather West and her husband are big fans of Halloween. They love the holiday so much, they were married last year on October 31.

"We decorated, we had the big scary cake, we had all the spider webs, we dressed up," West said.

West said this year is the first Halloween they've been in a house instead of an apartment, so they're able to decorate their yard for the first time for trick-or-treaters.

"We're just so hoping that we can get trick-or-treaters this year, because it's all we've wanted for three years that we've been together and done Halloween parties,” West said. “That's all we wanted was trick-or-treaters because it's just such a joy to see kids dress up.”

West said that's why it was disheartening to see the new CDC recommendations. It includes avoiding trick-or-treating, trunk-or-treating, indoor costume parties, haunted houses, hayrides or traveling to rural fall festivals.

Some said they'll take the CDC's advice.

"We were planning on taking our little grandson trick or treating. Bought a costume, bought candy to hand out. Now I don't know. There's always next year. Better safe than sorry," one Facebook comment said.

"We will not be trick or treating and not handing candy out. Hopefully next year we'll be able to thoroughly enjoy," another said.

West said they'll balance keeping trick-or-treaters safe, while making sure everyone has fun.

"If you can go out to eat and sit in a restaurant six feet away from people, you can go out and trick-or-treat,” West said. “With all the space you have to walk up and down the street, you're not going to come in much contact if you don't want to.”