Article by Moussa Yarori (Senn Sophomore); Video by Lesly Fernandez (Senn Junior)
Halloween is just days away, and Mayor Lori Lightfoot recently announced that Chicagoans can go trick or treating as long as they do it safely.
But, the pressing question remains: Is it possible? Can we trust the children of Chicago to handle such a big task? Will they be able to successfully enjoy Halloween while keeping safe from COVID-19?
Although this sounds like a bad situation from an upcoming sci-fi, virus-outbreak movie, these are serious questions swirling around the heads of many Chicagoans this year.
With Mayor Lightfoot recently releasing a very extended plan on exactly how we can remain safe while enjoying the pleasantries of Halloween, a lot of families believe that with a few precautions, safe trick-or-treating should be well within our means of capability.
Those policies include wearing masks and gloves, sanitizing throughout trick-or-treating, going with a small group or family you live with, avoiding crowds, keeping a safe distance from those you might encounter, washing thoroughly when you get home, etc.
But even with the release of preventative measures, many families stick to the stance that trick-or-treating this year is risky and it’s nearly impossible to expect people to follow a set of rules. Those families fear that if we are allowed to trick-or-treat, the only outcome is a further spike in cases.
But, one perspective often left out during discussions regarding serious topics like these are the opinions of children, who will be the main topic when discussing the safety of trick-or-treating. We sought out the thoughts of Juniors/11th graders attending Nicholas Senn High School.
Many Senn students felt kids should not go trick or treating, as the pandemic causes too much danger.
Senn High school Junior, Emmanuella Tonyi believes we should not trick-or-treat this year due to the fact that kids tend to be irresponsible and often respond negatively to rules. She said, “Kids will be kids, so they’ll probably want to go with their friends and it’s better to avoid that.”
With similar views on the matter, Aaliyah Vlahakis doesn’t believes that no matter what precautions are taken, human contact is inevitable. She said, “It’s too risky and it’s going to be a lot of human interaction, and that’s not the best right now.”
Others did not see the harm in trick or treating and believe that it can be done safely.
With a more optimistic take on trick-or-treating this year, Senn High School Junior, Lukas Paulos believes that we should be able to follow our already implemented procedures. He said, “I already know a lot of people who are responsible already with the quarantine as it is. They’d just add gloves to their costumes or whatever or they’d just add masks.”
Sharing a similar take, Bethani Nguyen also believes we should be able to trick-or-treat this year, seeing as many people will be strongly persuaded to follow the seemingly simple safety guidelines. She said, “I believe that there will be people who will follow the rules and procedures. I personally believe that the rules Mayor Lori Lightfoot made are not that hard to follow.”
With COVID cases on the rise in Chicago, one way or another, it’s important to be safe this year. For more information about Halloween in your area, please visit chicagohalloweek.org.
