"Halloween is on" amid coronavirus.
That's what New Jersey Gov. said Monday while announcing that guidance for trick-or-treating and trunk-or-treating was released by the state's Department of Health.
"You may wish to dress as a knucklehead this Halloween, but we don’t want anyone to act like one," the first-term Democrat said while conjuring up a favorite term of his from throughout the pandemic.
The Halloween rules being released Monday will cover events planned for schools, municipalities, businesses and residents.
Among the suggestions are that everyone who trick-or-treats wears a proper mask covering the nose and mouth -- not a traditional Halloween mask -- that they only go out with their family group and that they stay close to home, Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli.
There should be not communal candy bowls and candy should be individually wrapped in grab-and-go style and spaced out so it can be grabbed without touching other candy bags, officials said. They don't recommend handing out the candy, rather leave it out in a place where the trick-or-treaters can grab.
Anyone who answers the door or leaves out candy is suggested to wear a mask and wash their hands with soap and water frequently.
For trunk-or-treat events, cars should be spaced out with proper distance in a straight line, Persichilli said. Measures need to be taken to prevent overcrowding and groups should consider limiting participants.
Murphy urged for as many events to be held outdoors as possible. Any indoor gatherings are subjected to the capacity limit of 25 people or 25% of the maximum capacity of the room.
Here is the full guidance on Halloween from New Jersey.
After a weekend that saw more than 1,500 new COVID-19 cases reported in New Jersey, Murphy announced 500 more new cases at his Monday coronavirus news conference. New Jersey has reported nearly 209,000 coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic.
On Friday, Murphy put the focus on recent outbreaks in Ocean County where a high rate of transmission has helped the disease spread recently. The county -- especially Lakewood -- along with Monmouth County made up for a third of Monday's new cases.
At least 14,351 people are confirmed to have died from coronavirus-related complications since the start of the pandemic with two new deaths added Monday. Another nearly 1,800 deaths are suspected to be due to COVID-19.
