Los Angeles County Walks Back Trick-or-Treating Ban — But Says It's Still 'Not Recommended'

After Los Angeles County announced they were banning trick-or-treating as a way to minimize the risk of coronavirus, officials have walked back their decision.

In an updated press release on Thursday, health officials said door-to-door trick-or-treating, as well as "trunk-or-treating," an event where kids go from car-to-car to receive treats, was "not recommended" this Halloween.

Similar to the reasoning released Saturday, officials said the decision was because it would be "very difficult to maintain proper social distancing" but also added that it would be hard to "ensure that everyone answering or coming to the door is appropriately masked to prevent disease spread and because sharing food is risky."

While those two activities were moved under the "not recommended" category, gatherings and parties with people who do not live in your home and other common Halloween events (such as carnivals, festivals, live entertainment or haunted house attractions) are still banned in the county.

Meanwhile, home decorating, virtual parties, online costume contests, drive-through parades and events where individuals remain in their cars and comply with social distancing remain under the "permitted and recommended" category.

Halloween-themed outings at drive-in movie theaters, outdoor restaurants and outdoor museums also are still allowed this year.

Officials continued to emphasize the importance of safety precautions, urging those who plan to celebrate to wear face masks, avoid confined spaces, social distance and wash their hands.

As of Monday afternoon, there have been at least 751,049 cases and 14,025 deaths attributed to coronavirus in California, according to the New York Times.

Los Angeles leads the state's county totals with at least 249,859 cases and 6,090 deaths, the Times reported.

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