With Halloween just a few days away, people are scurrying to make plans for the big night.
As many places are re-opening up, the world is slowly returning back to a sense of normalcy. This means that this year’s Halloween will look a lot different than last year during the peak of the pandemic.
The holiday can be celebrated with much less restrictions compared to the last.
With the world opening up and the easing of safety guidelines, many people are eager to make Halloween plans where they can go out and socialize with others.
“People are actually going to go to people’s houses this year, “ senior Alex Troxel said. “Not as much as two years ago, but a big change from last year.”
Last year, most people spent their Halloween indoors and socially distanced from others as the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic wouldn’t allow them to go out.
Some spent the holiday watching a movie, hanging out with a few close friends, or not doing anything at all.
“I just stayed in the house last year during the pandemic, but now I’m planning on going out,” freshman Selot Besufekad said.
Many kids were even forced to abandon their annual tradition of trick-or-treating.
In the prior year, many houses chose to do contactless trick-or-treating, where they would leave a bowl of candy outside.
This year, however, it is likely that more people will go back to the tradition of answering the door for trick-or-treaters.
With more people venturing out of their homes for Halloween this year, the concern of Covid is still present in people’s minds.
Some are concerned with whether or not they will be in an environment where people are fully vaccinated.
“I definitely think there’s going to be this tension of are you vaccinated or not,” senior Jewel Coulter said. “I know if it were me, I would not want to go to a party, hangout or trick-or-treating if I was a kid with someone who is unvaccinated.”
About 70% of the population in Fairfax County is fully vaccinated.
This is a high number, however, it is still not everybody, which leaves room for people to be concerned.
On the other hand, having a high vaccination rate provides some with reassurance about going out for Halloween.
“I think we’re going to see people not caring about Covid restrictions, especially in this area because a lot of people have gotten vaccinated,” Troxel said.
Even though concerns about Covid-19 still loom over some, it won’t stop many from enjoying their first post-quarantine Halloween.
“I think Halloween is definitely going to be more vibrant this year,” Coulter said.