Santa Cruz County Offers Tips To Celebrate Halloween Safely

Press release from Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency:

Santa Cruz County health officials would like to remind residents that many commonly celebrated Halloween and Día de los Muertos activities carry risk for spreading COVID-19.

Limiting yourself to small gatherings and implementing extra safety measures—especially when everyone is not vaccinated—can help reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19. Together, we all need to do as much as we can to protect ourselves and those around us, including young children who are not yet eligible for vaccination.

As you plan and participate in Halloween and Día de los Muertos activities this year, it is highly recommended that everyone takes the following measures to protect against COVID-19:

• Get fully vaccinated.
o Vaccines are our best protection against infection. All three currently available vaccines are safe and effectively reduce risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death due to COVID-19. o If you are due for an additional dose due to underlying conditions or are due for a booster dose, please arrange for those now.
o Find a vaccination location near you: www.santacruzhealth.org/coronavirusvaccine.

• Stay home if you have, or think you may have, COVID-19.
o Do not attend celebrations or participate in activities if you feel sick, or if you have come into close contact with someone who has COVID-19 and you are not yet fully vaccinated.

• Wear a face mask.
o Vaccinated individuals can carry COVID-19 without showing symptoms. Everyone, regardless of vaccination status, is strongly urged to wear a face mask in indoor public settings. o Face masks are recommended in private settings where not everyone has been vaccinated or when around people who are otherwise vulnerable or whose immune systems are compromised.
o A costume mask is not a substitute for a well-fitted face mask that covers your mouth and nose. o Avoid wearing a costume mask over a protective cloth mask because it can be dangerous if the costume mask makes it hard to breathe.

• Gather outdoors.
o Indoor activities where people from different households mix, like haunted houses or indoor mazes, are higher risk for everyone—especially for persons not yet vaccinated.

• Take safety precautions when trick-or-treating.

o If participating in traditional outdoor trick-or-treating, wear a face mask or keep your distance from others to help reduce your risk of getting COVID-19.
o Take hand sanitizer with you and use it frequently. Remember to wash your hands after coming home, and especially before eating any treats.

• Keep gatherings small.
o Large gatherings, even if they are outdoors, pose risk for COVID-19.
o Events with crowds greater than 1,000 indoor attendees or crowds greater than 10,000 outdoor attendees must comply with California’s Mega-Event Guidance.

To further protect yourself and your loved ones, be sure to monitor yourself for symptoms for 14 days after participating in holiday celebrations and activities. Pay special attention from days 3-7 as this is when people are most likely to develop symptoms.

If someone you had close contact with tests positive, get tested, and if you are not fully vaccinated, stay home to quarantine. If you do not feel well or if you test positive, stay home to isolate regardless of your vaccination status.

For information on what to do after an exposure or a positive test, visit the California Department of Public Health Guidance on Isolation and Quarantine for COVID-19.

For local information on COVID-19, go to www.santacruzhealth.org/corona... or call (831) 454- 4242 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

This press release was produced by Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency. The views expressed here are the author's own.