Tricky Halloween: Candy in driveways, no haunted houses or costume party crowds — face coverings AND masks?

A young trick-or-treater gets a push through the West Loop neighborhood in October 2019. | Rich Hein/Sun-Times

With the COVID-19 pandemic still haunting Illinois this autumn, public health officials on Wednesday set guidelines for trick-or-treating and other Halloween activities.

And no, that spooky mask won’t cut it as a face covering.

Illinois Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said the safest option is for all the state’s little goblins and ghouls to stay home instead of going door-to-door looking for candy — but instead of “denying the reality” that people will celebrate anyway, she urged residents to follow health precautions to keep the viral specter at bay.

“Try to be creative this holiday season. Challenge yourself and your kids on how you can celebrate these holidays as safely as possible,” Ezike said.

That means considering virtual gatherings as an alternative. Absent that, the state’s top doctor suggested leaving individually wrapped candy on tables in driveways or other areas outside homes where distance can be maintained — or setting up tables in a large outdoor space for a socially distant Halloween treat parade.

Both givers and receivers of treats should maintain six feet of social distance, and Ezike said groups of trick-or-treaters should be limited to household members.

Ezike also stressed that “a Halloween costume mask is not a substitute for face covering,” and that a cloth covering should be worn under a costume mask unless it creates breathing problems.

Fans wear Halloween costumes during an NFL football game between the New Orleans Saints and the Chicago Bears in New Orleans in 2017.

Haunted houses aren’t allowed under the state’s latest reopening phase. And the guidelines aren’t just for kids; Ezike told adults to “avoid crowded costume parties at home or at bars, which can absolutely increase your risk of getting COVID-19 and spreading it in the community.”

The latest reminder of how the pandemic has upended life in the state came as officials announced 2,273 more people were confirmed to carry the virus among the latest 58,546 tests administered.

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That kept the state’s average testing positivity rate over the last week at 3.6%. That number, which indicates how quickly the virus is spreading, has fallen almost a full percentage point since the start of September.

But it’s up to 8.4% in the northwest portion of the state that includes Rockford and Dixon. Because the region topped 8% for three days, Pritzker’s office announced restrictions on indoor restaurant and bar service this week.

“These rules are not meant to be a punishment, and I don’t particularly enjoy having to deploy them. But we have got to keep people healthy,” Pritzker said during a COVID-19 briefing that was held virtually because one of his staffers tested positive.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivers a virtual COVID-19 briefing Wednesday from his Chicago home.

The Democratic governor and other staffers have all tested negative as they isolate for safety, he said. As for the infected staffer, “they have some symptoms but are in good condition and resting at home,” Pritzker said.

Chicago’s positivity rate is at 4.4% and all its surrounding regions are below 6%.

Officials also said the virus killed 35 more Illinoisans, the state’s highest single-day death toll in two weeks.

More than 5.6 million coronavirus tests have been administered over the last six months. At least 293,274 have tested positive and 8,672 have died with the virus.

As of Tuesday night, 1,632 Illinois coronavirus patients were hospitalized, with 378 in intensive care units and 152 on ventilators.