The City of Carbondale is discouraging door to door trick-or-treating following Gov. JB Pritzker’s announcement on Monday and the stricter COVID-19 mitigations placed on region 5.

According to the release, the City of Carbondale is encouraging anyone who still wishes to observe the holiday to follow the guidelines below from the Illinois Department of Public Health:

• Anyone participating in trick-or-treating, including those passing out candy, should maintain 6-feet of social distance and wear proper face coverings. 
• Consider leaving individually wrapped candy (spaced apart) on a table in driveways or in front of walkways, sidewalks, or any outdoor space where 6-feet of distance can be maintained. 
• A Halloween costume mask is not a substitute for a cloth mask. Ensure that breathing is not impaired if a cloth mask is worn under a costume mask. If so, discard the costume mask. 
• Trick-or-treat in groups with household members only. 
• Candy collected during trick-or-treating should not be eaten until after handwashing.

“The City asks residents to find creative ways to safely hand out candy while maintaining social distance, i.e., candy slides, goody bags on a string, etc.,” The release said. “We also ask that both trick-or-treaters and those handing out candy wear face masks during all interactions.”

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Trick-or-treating hours are from 5 p.m.-8p.m. on Oct. 31. As an alternative to trick-or-treating, the city is hosting three virtual Halloween contests community members can participate in.

These contests include a pumpkin carving contest, a home/business decorating competition and a face mask decoration contest.

To enter the pumpkin carving contest, send photos of your completed creation to [email protected] by October 26. Make sure to include your name and phone number, according to the release the winner of this contest will receive a Halloween gift basket.

For the Halloween decoration competition, there will be a residential and business category, to submit an entry, email pictures of your display to [email protected], entries must be submitted by Oct. 26 and according to the release, will be judged on creativity, scare factor and originality. The prize for both categories is a $50 gift card to Ace Hardware.

To enter the face mask decorating competition, contestants can decorate a homemade or premade mask, the only requirement is that it can protect against the spread of COVID-19. The winner will receive a Halloween gift basket, to submit an entry, email photos of the mask to  [email protected] by Oct. 26.

More details on these competitions can be found at the City of Carbondale website here. The winners will be announced on the city’s Facebook page at noon on Oct. 28.

Staff reporter Gus Bode can be reached at [email protected].

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