To trick or treat or not to trick or treat? Local parents weigh risks of Halloween tradition

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — With only eight days left before Halloween, parents are weighing their options for how their children will be able to celebrate the holiday amid the ongoing pandemic.

Some parents are still trying to decide what to do, while others are contemplating ways other than trick-or-treating to scare up some fun for their little ones.

READ: ‘This is fine’: Indiana family delights with meme-themed Halloween display

“We might join some friends for a small block party or we might go house to house,” parent Michelle Ward, of Oviedo, said.

In College Park, members of a Facebook group set up trick-or-treating block parties for those who are interested.

Dr. Raul Pino of the Orange County Health Department is advising against large gatherings.

READ: CDC announces high and low risk Halloween activities amid COVID-19; trick-or-treating not recommended

But some parents said they are ghosting COVID-19 concerns when it comes to their children.

“My son, he’s already going to school. He’s around kids already so I feel like the exposure to the kids in the neighborhood is like they are already around each other playing anyways,” one parent said.

Coronavirus: CDC announces high risk Halloween activities (NCD)