COVID-19 has affected our world in ways we couldn’t even imagine. As we are nearing the end of October, students are looking forward to celebrating one of the biggest holidays of the year – Halloween. The 31st of October occurs on a perfect date this year, a Saturday with no school and a full moon. However, due to the pandemic, many traditional activities are no longer viable options because of the strict social distancing procedures that are currently in place.

At Dublin High School, many students felt disappointment due to the virtual cancellation of Halloween.

 “I was planning on hanging out with my friends this Halloween”, says Catherine Mah, currently a sophomore at Dublin High School. “I’m really disappointed in how things have turned out because my friends and I have been planning this for a while, and we thought corona would be over by now.” Many expected that COVID-19 would be over by the time October arrived, contributing to the widespread feelings of anticipation and excitement..

Although Halloween has been very different this year, students are trying to make light out of the situation. Deepika Puli, another sophomore at Dublin High, stated that “If COVID-19 was non-existent then I would have had a group gathering with my whole friend group, but due to covid I can only hang out with around 3 friends.” On the brighter side, Deepika had a positive outlook of the situation as well, reflecting that “I’m disappointed that I can’t see all my friends, but it is what it is and I’m grateful for what I have now and I’m not suffering compared to others that are heavily impacted by corona.” Overall, while COVID-19 has made Halloween non-traditional, many people are still finding positive alternatives for celebration!

For example, students at Dublin High are creating new plans which follow health code procedures to spend time with their friends. Joanne Kim, a freshman, revealed she was planning on celebrating within her social bubble on Halloween. “I’m planning on going to a grassy area with friends outside to park and eat candy,” she explains. However, she also mentions her concerns, stating that “We can still meet with friends but there are a lot more precautions we have to take, and celebrating Halloween this year came with a lot more restrictions.” 

On August 20, 2020, the health officer of Alameda County stated small social bubbles of no more than 12 people are allowed. Therefore, Dublin citizens can expect to see small groups of people around town on the evening of the 31st.

There have been many other creative alternatives to celebrating Halloween as well. Dublin High junior Ryan Wong mentioned that he is planning on going to a drive-in haunted house with his friends and family. Katie Cheng, a sophomore, plans to Netflix party with some horror movies. Likewise, Adora Do plans to stay home and binge movies, while Paul plans to binge eat candy on his bed. 

Overall, while trick-or-treating is no longer possible this year, there are many fun and creative alternatives to the classic knocking-on-the-door and collecting candy in a pillowcase. Friends can recreate trick-or-treating in games such as Minecraft, or play some Among Us with spooky skins. You can decide to watch a movie, bake, or even just talk with your friends over FaceTime. Simply just catching up on your sleep is also an option. After all, it’s important to keep the spooky spirit alive during this seemingly negative situation!