Mason City’s mayor says COVID safety will be key in trick-or-treating this Halloween (AUDIO)

MASON CITY — Despite concerns about the coronavirus, “trick-or-treating” will take place this Halloween in Mason City and other north-central Iowa communities. The City Council in Mason City last night approved Halloween night October 31st between 5:30 and 7:30 as the designated time for kids to go door-to-door in the community.

Mayor Bill Schickel says the city will continue to monitor guidelines from health officials on celebrating Halloween safely. “We’ve checked with the Centers for Disease Control, also with Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health in consultation with other people, and it looks like communities in Iowa primarily are holding trick-or-treat night. What we’re going to do is have a COVID-safe trick-or-treat night. We will be putting out advisories along with the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health on the best safety tips and information on the best way to go about that.”

Schickel says most of the safety guidelines for trick-or-treating are the same as they are all the time.   He says citizens will be encouraged to take proper precautions while trick-or-treating and to stay mindful of the main ways of protecting themselves and others from COVID-19, including washing and sanitizing hands, avoiding close contact with others, using a mask to cover their mouth and nose, cover coughs and sneezes, clean and disinfect surfaces, and monitoring their health daily.

Schickel says if residents have health concerns about people coming to their door for Halloween, they should not feel obligated to participate.   “If you feel uncomfortable with someone coming to your door to trick-or-treat, don’t turn your light on. That’s certainly understandable.”

Schickel made his comments during the “Ask the Mayor” program on AM-1300 KGLO earlier today. Listen back to the program by heading to the audio player below.