Halloween guidelines say no trick-or-treating in Los Angeles

Halloween traditions including trick-or-treating, haunted houses and parades have all been nixed in Los Angeles County this year under new health guidelines because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Since some of the traditional ways in which this holiday is celebrated does not allow you to minimize contact with non-household members, it is important to plan early and identify safer alternatives,” the county Department of Public Health said in a statement on Tuesday.

So-called “trunk-or-treating” events where kids walk from car to car in a parking lot are also forbidden. But car parades are OK, as are drive-through haunted houses and Halloween movie nights at drive-in theaters that meet health and safety standards.

Officials encourage online parties, meals at outdoor restaurants, Halloween-themed art installations at outdoor museums and decorating homes and yards.

Annual Halloween events such as Knott’s Scary Farm, Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, Disneyland’s Oogie Boogie Bash and the Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor were all canceled weeks ago because of COVID-19 concerns.

Los Angeles County remains in the state’s highest tier for virus danger, which is purple, meaning many nonessential businesses are closed, there’s no indoor dining and schools can’t return to in-person teaching unless they obtain a waiver to do so.