The end of October is here, and with that comes one of the most popular holidays of the year: Halloween. 

For children, Halloween is a chance to dress up and go door-to-door asking for candy,  and for high schoolers, a time to hang out and celebrate with friends. However, COVID-19 is severely complicating celebrations in 2020.

 Because Halloween typically has a large amount of youth participation concentrated on one day, and involves contact with individuals outside the circle of people students usually see, it could dramatically increase the community spread of the coronavirus. If Oregon learned anything from holiday weekends like Labor Day, this rise will occur around two weeks after Halloween weekend.  

According to My Oregon News, Governor Kate Brown has advised against attending crowded indoor costume parties or visiting haunted houses, two activities teenagers commonly participate in on Halloween. With indoor gatherings of no more than 10 people allowed, teenagers are turning to local parks for get-togethers. 

However, many teens are discouraging large group gatherings altogether. 

“Skipping parties now means we get to go to parties sooner,” said sophomore Elena Schwartz. 

The coronavirus risk level in Multnomah County has been increasing and is now at risk level “orange,” which is one level away from being red, the “danger zone.” Oregon broke a daily coronavirus case record October 2, according to The Oregonian, with 600 new cases. 

Junior Ike Salinsky usually spends Halloween with a friend, watching horror movies and eating candy. This year, Salinsky is still trying to determine a safe way to see that friend, but he believes that attending parties and large gatherings is not the safest option. 

“I don’t think there is a way to make partying safe,” Salinsky said. “If you have a small group of people that you’ve been hanging out with for a while, I think it’s okay to be doing small things, but don’t go and hang out with 50 people at a party. That’s just dumb.”