An Oregon Health Official Explains Why Trick-or-Treating Is a Bad Idea This Year

Dr. Shimi Sharief also says adults should reconsider their Halloween parties, too.

Revelers gathers in St. Helens, aka Halloweentown. IMAGE: Halloween Facebook.
By Matthew Singer

WW presents "Distant Voices," a daily video interview for the era of social distancing. Our reporters are asking Portlanders what they're doing during quarantine.

Don't shoot the messenger—or stab her with rusty meat hooks, or throw her into the sewer with a pack of cannibalistic mutants—but in Dr. Shimi Sharief's professional opinion, Halloween maybe shouldn't happen this year.

She's not saying we have to outright cancel the holiday, of course. But with an actual virus making everyday life spookier than it's ever been, perhaps it's a good idea to rethink some of the traditions of the season.

First and foremost: no trick-or-treating.

Echoing the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Oregon Health Authority is advising against letting the wee ones go door-to-door this year, a suggestion that certainly won't help parents already on edge.

But Sharief, a senior health adviser for the OHA, says reimagining spooky season is important to stemming the spread of COVID-19—and it's not just the kids who need to sacrifice, either.

See more Distant Voices interviews here.

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