Letter to the Editor: Young Resident Has Ideas to Make Halloween Safer for Everyone

Dear Community Leaders:

My name is Leila Hart.  Even though I’m only 10 years old, please take the time to listen to what I have to say.  Last Halloween was not a great success.  I missed my friends.  This year, I would like to change that.  But, Halloween still has to be safe.

The first thing we could do is close off some major trick-or-treating streets.  This would expand the space available, which would help trick-or-treaters walk at a safe distance.

Another idea is to have staggered starting times for different age groups of trick-or-treaters.  For example, younger kids could start at 4pm, and elementary, middle, and high school students could each have different start times.  Even though there may be a lot of overlap, it will still be a lot less people at once than if all of the kids started at the same time.

There are a few more things we can do to make this Halloween very safe and fun.  One, if you are going to go trick-or-treating, masks should be mandatory.  Also, trick-or-treating bags with extended poles can lead to at least 4 feet of distance.  People should also make sure that their candy is properly cleaned and trick-or-treaters can use hand sanitizer to help reduce germs.

I hope you will consider my ideas to make this Halloween both safe and fun.  I would really love to go trick-or-treating with my friends, but I shouldn’t if it’s not safe.

-Leila Hart
Burbank