By JOE ASHER

joe.asher@middlesboronews.com

Autumn is in full swing, and a favorite part of the fall season for many is Halloween, complete with trick-or-treating, parties, and other gatherings.

Middlesboro Mayor Rick Nelson shed some light on the city’s plans for Halloween, stating the city plans to hold trick-or-treat on Halloween night.

“That’s on a Saturday,” Nelson said.  “Our city council will announce the hours; usually it’s between 4 or 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.”

Nelson pointed out participants should follow the guidelines from the governor’s office concerning the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Nelson said the city is considering the possibility of other Halloween activities, but nothing is definite at this time.

“As we get a little closer…we’ll have everything ironed out so that we can tell folks the schedule of what we plan on doing,” Nelson said.

During Gov. Andy Beshear’s daily COVID-19 update on Oct. 1, Dr. Steven Stack went over guidance for Halloween activities.

“Let’s keep Halloween for the kids. Let’s all come together and make sure the kids can have a good, safe experience and have fun. This is not the year to have all the adult Halloween parties,” Stack said.

Guidelines for Halloween can be found on https://kentucky.gov. The website advises that if trick-or-treating is permitted in your community, please do so in a safe way.

• Place individually wrapped candy outside on the porch, driveway, or a table.
• Maintain a social distance of at least 6 feet from anyone not within your household.
• Always wear a face covering. Halloween masks DO NOT count as a face covering.
• Clean hands before and after touching the wrapped candy.
• Trick-or-treat in family groups and don’t congregate in large groups.
• Trick-or-treat in your own neighborhood. Do not travel to other neighborhoods.
• Use hand sanitizer often, especially after contacting frequently touched surfaces and before eating anything.

There are also some suggested low-risk activities at https://chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dph/covid19/cv19halloweenguidance.pdf including carving or decorating pumpkins with members of your household, decorating your house or apartment, having an online Halloween costume contest, watching Halloween movies with people you live with and having a scavenger hunt for Halloween treats in or around your home with household members.

To view the complete Halloween guidance, visit, https://chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dph/covid19/cv19halloweenguidance.pdf.