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Rats, thought I had a loophole.

We’re about a week away from October, spookiest month of the year (except maybe for April, though for different reasons). Halloween season is such a wonderful time of year, full of tricks, treats, and of course, awesome costumes. Unfortunately, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic doesn’t much care for the spirit of the season, which means trick-or-treating is probably a bust this year. “But wait,” you may say, “everyone will be wearing masks on Halloween! Isn’t that perfect for dealing with the pandemic?” It’s an understandable notion, but according to the Center for Disease Control, it’s not a workable one.

Earlier in the week, the CDC updated their website with some guidelines on the Halloween season, specifically the usage of masks. “Do not use a costume mask (such as for Halloween) as a substitute for a cloth mask unless it is made of two or more layers of breathable fabric that covers your mouth and nose and doesn’t leave gaps around your face,” the website reads.

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Costume masks are typically made of either fabric or hard plastic. Fabric masks usually only use a single layer, which isn’t good enough to properly protect you, and plastic masks usually have large breathing holes that kind of defeat the purpose. Oh, and if you had any ideas about wearing a second mask over your first mask to create a double-layer effect, don’t even try it. The CDC says doing something like that could lead to breathing problems.

The best course of action is here is to just not go trick-or-treating, but if you absolutely have to, try adding a Halloween-themed face mask to your costume for proper protection. Outdoor, open-air trick-or-treating and other Halloween activities like pumpkin patches are okay, provided everyone stays six feet apart. Oh, and if you get spooked and have to scream, try to cover your mouth. Screaming shoots out a lot of spittle, after all.