Halloween events will go on Butler County: What officials are saying

She stressed the importance of wearing a face mask, staying six feet apart, and frequently washing hands.

Other Butler County city and township officials are hoping their residents wear masks and protective gloves when passing out candy, and if possible, stand at the end of the driveway. If residents don’t want to participate in treat-or-trick, they’re asked to turn off their porch lights, officials said.

Bailer said decisions on whether to participate in Halloween activities should be made by local communities, individuals and parents or guardians. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued new guidelines about Halloween, and it recommended against traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating.

Halloween activities like hayrides and haunted houses put people in close contact with individuals outside of their households and pose an increased risk for COVID-19 exposure, Bailer said. It is strongly recommended that activities like these should be canceled or avoided.

Middletown is holding its citywide trick-or-treat, but has cancelled the City Building trick-or-treat and Touch A Truck event, according to a city official. Trick-or-treat is from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31. The city is asking residents to share their trick-or-treat photos, using #MiddletownHalloween.

West Chester is holding its trick-or-treat from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31. It’s encouraging families to be safe and observe the state’s guidelines for wearing a mask, staying in family groups and maintaining distance, said Barb Wilson, spokeswoman.

“Halloween is a fun tradition for families that offers many opportunities for interpretation and creative ways to celebrate that might pose less potential risk than traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating,” she said.

Credit: Greg Lynch

Credit: Greg Lynch

To lower risk, the Butler County General Health District said communities should consider safer, socially distant ways to celebrate Halloween:

LOCAL TRICK-OR-TREATING