Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he will not ban trick-or-treaters going door to door this Halloween amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Gov. Cuomo spoke with News 12 about speculation that trick-or-treating may be canceled this year. It came after officials in Los Angeles banned trick-or-treating and Halloween parties because of coronavirus fears.
"I would not ban trick or treaters going door-to-door, I don't think that's appropriate," says Cuomo. "You have neighbors, you want to knock on your neighbor's door, God bless you."
Health officials say they're concerned about what groups of kids roaming through neighborhoods could lead to.
"You have to be really careful right now, especially going door to door, you don't know who's going to have a mask, who's not going to have a mask and you don't want to run into trouble with that," says pediatrician Dr. John Zaso.
Zaso says the trick for this year is to find the balance between having a treat and staying safe. He adds that the virus does not transmit well on candy packaging and that parents should be more concerned about keeping social distancing protocols.