Halloween: Trick-or-Treat

The City of Bedford will adhere to the Ohio Department of Health’s “Celebrating Halloween” guidance released on Friday, September 18th. Trick-or-treat activities will be from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Saturday, October 31st in Bedford.

To protect the safety and health of all members of our community while celebrating Halloween, the City of Bedford encourages caution for Halloween and other fall festivities. While broad in nature to cover the situations experienced by most Ohioans, the Ohio Department of Health’s “Celebrating Halloween” guidance provides the following good advice:

For Parents/Guardians of Trick-or-Treaters

• If taking your children trick-or-treating, limit the number of houses you visit and ask your children to stay as far from treat-givers as possible. For small children, consider holding the bag for them.
• Wipe off candy wrappers with sanitizing wipes when you arrive home. (NOTE: Never wipe unpackaged food with wipes.)
• Allow children to eat only factory-wrapped treats. Avoid homemade treats made by strangers.
• If your child is at greater risk of complications from COVID-19, contact your doctor before allowing participation in Halloween activities.

For Community Members

• For trick-or-treating, reach out to neighbors to discuss ways to ensure 6-foot social distancing, how candy and treats can most safely be distributed, and the need for face coverings.
• Distribute factory-wrapped candy and treats only.  Refrain from distributing any homemade treats.
• Refrain from having children select their own candy and treats from a bowl/common container or set up a hand-sanitizing station.
• Move outdoors to distribute candy and treats if possible.  Consider placing treats on porch steps or a table in the driveway with a sign asking children to take only one. Or use other creative ways to distribute treats, such as using a candy “slide” made of PVC pipe, or hanging treats from a wall or fence.

For more information, visit https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/static/responsible/celebrating-halloween.pdf