Every year, children all over Britain look forward to dressing up as ghosts, ghouls and things that go bump in the night, before they go knocking on neighbours' doors, collecting treats and sweets. However, it's highly unlikely this will be happening this year.
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Is trick or treating banned for 2020?
During September, there was plenty of media debate over whether trick or treating should be banned this year. New safety rules came into force on 14th September, including the "rule of six" in England, forbidding people to meet up in any group larger than six people.
Although children under 12 in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland weren't subject to the rule of six, concerns were raised about the safety of groups of people going door-to-door in the middle of a pandemic, even if they did adhere to the social distancing and hygiene rules.
As coronavirus cases increased significantly throughout September, more towns and cities went into local lockdown, forbidding even groups of six from meeting up and banning everyone from going into other people's homes or gardens in some districts.
Then, on 2nd October, Prime Minister Boris Johnson ruled that trick or treating in local lockdown areas was banned, as going from door-to-door and interacting with neighbours and friends still counted as mixing with other households.
Halloween festivals in Paisley and Fife, in Scotland, were cancelled. First Minister for Scotland Nicola Sturgeon said she would outlaw trick or treating if it became necessary, because it was "better than allowing children to be at risk".
New three-tier lockdown
With growing unrest surrounding the way the government is handling the crisis, the changing rules have been continually criticised for being unclear. Now, following the Prime Minister's three-tier lockdown strategy announcement on 12th October, people feel even more uncertain about what is and isn't allowed.
The local and regional lockdowns have been replaced by a national system, whereby towns and cities are put into one of three categories, known as the Local Covid Alert System, depending on the number of coronavirus cases.
What does the medical profession say?
Medical opinion is divided on whether trick or treating can be done safely. Dr Chris Smith, a virologist at Cambridge University, believes taking precautions means it's still possible to enjoy Halloween safely. He says doing anything that increases people's contact with others automatically worsens the risks.
However, observing social distancing with people outside your own household, standing well back when knocking on doors and continually keeping your hands clean with sanitiser will make it safer, claims Dr Smith.
On the other side of the fence is Paul Hunter, a professor and expert in infectious diseases at East Anglia University. He says the problem isn't wholly to do with children, but rather related to knocking on vulnerable or elderly people's doors.
Although the chances of transmitting an infectious disease during a typical Halloween are "quite low", it's still a cause for concern when there's even a small chance of passing on Covid-19 to vulnerable people who are currently shielding. He says elderly people get nervous about Halloween anyway, so with the added stress of the pandemic, knocking on their door could cause extra anxiety.
Will people listen to government advice?
A lot of people who enjoy trick or treating are disappointed at the government advice to stay at home. An online poll by the Sun newspaper saw 60% of respondents in the UK voting to let trick or treating go ahead, saying, "Let the kids have some fun." Only 30.5% said the Covid-19 pandemic should stop the event from taking place, although the remainder of respondents felt trick or treating should be banned "every year".
The majority of people who responded to a BBC Newsround online poll, "Should Halloween trick or treating be cancelled this year?" were also in favour of the event going ahead. Public comments suggested, "People can just wear masks and gloves, it's that simple. Halloween is one of my favourite events, so I'd rather it wasn't cancelled."
Other people agreed with the sentiment, saying, "As long as the sweets are in wrappers, it doesn't matter," - although some respondents pointed out, "If you have a vulnerable person in your family, it’s probably better not to go, unless you keep to your two metres all the time."
How can you celebrate Halloween at home?
You can still celebrate Halloween by making your own haunted house, as there are no rules to say you can't have a party with your own household! You can make all kinds of simple props to spook up your home.
One of the easiest ideas for decorations is to make candles dripping with "blood". Buy plain white candles and then melt some red ones, dripping the liquid red wax over the white to create a gory blood-stained effect. They make a great centrepiece for the table.
For ceiling decorations, buy ready-made paper lanterns in Halloween colours such as purple, green and orange. Then stick a witch's hat on top of each and fix them to the ceiling with drawing pins.
It's time to dust down your craft set to make 3D spiders' webs! Blow up balloons and wrap yarn soaked in glue around them to create the web effect. While the glue is wet, stick plastic spiders all over the balloons. Once they are dry, hang them from the ceiling or in the windows.
What about Halloween drinks?
Make spider ice-cubes by putting plastic spiders in water in ice-cube trays. Pop them in the freezer for a couple of hours and then drop the ice-cubes into a large bowl of punch, so all you can see are spiders bobbing around. You can make two different punch bowls, one alcoholic and one non-alcoholic for the kids and for adults who don't drink.
Create a pumpkin ice-bucket by cutting a pumpkin in half, scooping out the insides and filling it with ice-cubes. Place your bottles of wine and soft drinks in there to keep them chilled during the party.
Finally, make sure you look the part - while most of the UK won't be able to trick or treat, the supermarkets and other retail stores are stocking plenty of Halloween costumes, wigs, make-up and accessories, as always. Dress up, have fun and forget your troubles for the evening.
How much do we spend on Halloween?
People in the UK treat Halloween as one of our major festivals and spending reflects this. The most-bought Halloween items are chocolate, sweets and pumpkins - we spend more on sweets than we do on fancy dress and decorations combined!
Shoppers in Britain spent £510 million on Halloween in 2019 - up from £230 million in 2013. Spending has more than doubled in just six years. Analysts say despite the Covid-19 pandemic, or maybe even because of it, early indications show this will be the biggest Halloween spend to date.
Halloween falls on a Saturday and because we're looking for alternatives to traditional trick or treating, retailers are reporting a sales boom in all things spooky in the run-up to the big night.
Halloween decorations and fancy dress costumes are used for such a short time, if you store them away carefully, they can be used again year after year. For details of our storage solutions, contact Solent Plastics today.