Halloween, Thanksgiving In NJ Amid COVID: CDC Updates Guidance

NEW JERSEY - Unvaccinated New Jerseyans should still don a face mask while attending Halloween or Thanksgiving celebrations and avoid traveling this year, although it is still recommended for everyone to skip indoor gatherings altogether regardless of vaccination status, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in its new COVID-19 guidelines.

In the guidance issued on Friday, the CDC notes that masks should be worn at indoor gatherings or outdoor gatherings that are crowded, or gatherings with those who are not fully vaccinated.

“Outdoor activities are safer than indoor gatherings,” the CDC said in its guidelines.

“If celebrating indoors, bring in fresh air by opening windows and doors, if possible. You can use a window fan in one of the open windows to blow air out of the window. This will pull fresh air in through the other open windows.”

During a Monday afternoon press briefing, Gov. Phil Murphy reiterated that Halloween celebrations will proceed in the Garden State in 2021, albeit with safety precautions throughout the rest of the fall and winter celebratory months.

“We were open for business [last] Halloween, and we will be open for business this Halloween,” Murphy said. “We just ask everyone to be safe, smart and do the right thing. My concern is … we’re in this several month period where it’s one holiday after another. Some religious, some secular, but they sort of come in with a cadence.”

Safer alternatives to in-person gatherings with family or friends include hosting a video chat party, planning a special meal with those in your household or driving/walking around your community to wave at neighbors from a safe distance, according to the CDC.

“The key will be how people behave when they’re inside," Murphy added. "It won’t be going door-to-door trick or treating … but it will be the party in somebody’s basement or the dinner table. We didn’t have a vaccine last Halloween, we got one now, we know it works and we know our numbers are very high.”

Of course, the CDC recommends that all eligible individuals get vaccinated. Those who are not fully vaccinated and ages 2 years or older should wear a mask indoors.

“Attending gatherings to celebrate events and holidays increases your risk of getting and spreading COVID-19. The safest way to celebrate is virtually, with people who live with you, or outside and at least 6 feet apart from others,” the CDC notes.

Over 5.8 million New Jerseyans are fully vaccinated as of Monday, or nearly 75 percent of the population. That’s compared to about 56 percent of the U.S. population that are fully vaccinated.