Some students have shifted their plans for Halloween this year

As the Halloween season approaches, students are beginning to make their plans for the holiday. However, this year adds a new struggle to students’ plans as they now prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic as well. Students have found ways to celebrate while being safe during the 2020 Halloween season. 

During the Halloween season many students look forward to campus events, pumpkin patches and haunted houses. These activities are now cancelled or modified to fit the pandemic. Although, many other activities are still safe and fun for students to participate in. 

Mckenna Truhlicka, a student at North Dakota State University, stated, “I plan on still passing out candy and carving a pumpkin, these do not really need adjustments.” Other Halloween activities such as watching movies and baking are fun things students are doing while staying safe.

However, not every student will be safe during this pandemic. People are fearful that some students will not take the pandemic seriously on Oct. 31. Sophie Lind, an NDSU student said, “Everyone wants to get their Halloween fun in and dress up and go to a party.” Many students believe that this problem could intensify the pandemic. “I think Halloween will cause an increase in COVID cases,” Lind said. 

By social distancing, keeping groups to a small number and incorporating a mask into a costume, students will be able to prevent the coronavirus from spreading this season. Lind said, “As a college student it’s also a hard decision to make because you want to dress up and go out with friends and hang out, but where do we draw the line?”

Many students are questioning how many precautions they should take this year. Allison McHugo, a University of North Dakota student said, “I think it is a struggle for all students to know how many activities they should attend this semester and how safe it will be for us.” 

Many students raised concerns for the children. Truhlicka enjoys handing out candy to trick or treaters and explained how she will “social distance from the trick or treaters and/or wear a mask.” Lind has voiced her concerns for college students but said, “I think it would be harder to be a little kid.”

“It’s a little sad and scary to think that just one weekend of people being a little bit more careless than usual could cause us all to go back online,” Lind said.