New Map Highlights Safest Trick or Treating Spots

With Halloween coming up soon, everyone in the Utica-Rome area, across Central New York, and the entire country is on guard to ensure the safety of little ghosts and goblins.

With Halloween falling on a Saturday this year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, parents are especially concerned for their children. According to RochesterFirst.com, the Halloween and Costume Association (HCA) is doing its part to lend a hand. The HCA has issued this interactive map, developed by the Harvard Global Health Institute.

The map is color-coded to represent the regions of the U.S. that are considered most and least risky for trick or treaters. It's broken down by county. Here are the four colors and their current circumstances:

Green Zone Counties
Trick or treating can proceed normally,with social distancing guidelines.

Yellow Zone Counties
Trick or treating is still possible, but with proper safety protocols.

Orange Zone Counties
HCA recommends “reverse trick or treating,” which means kids can hang out in their front yards, and neighbors can walk or drive by and deliver candy.

Red Zone Counties
Trick or treating is not recommended. Instead, HCA recommends Zoom parties, Netflix parties, and setting up candy stations inside and outside of the house for kids to discover throughout the night.

Oneida, Herkimer, Madison and Onondaga counties are all classified as relatively safe Yellow zones.