CINCINNATI — As Halloween approaches, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned many of the annual holiday traditions pose a high risk for coronavirus transmission. The organization said door to door trick-or-treating is one of the riskiest things families can do.
Instead, the CDC recommends keeping celebrations as close to home as possible, suggesting pumpkin carving, in-home scavenger hunts or decorating your home.
For those who love the season like Andrew Beattie though, it’s hard to shy away from tradition.
As soon as Labor Day hits, the Cincinnati father goes all out. His home is the first on his block with lights and spooky decorations, and Beattie said the display only grows year after year.
“When you’re trying to make things fun and entertain people, sometimes there’s a little excess you have if you know what I mean,” he said.
Unfortunately, with his high porch and steep steps, Beattie said many families struggle to make it to his door on Halloween night.
“When I’m wearing a mask and a costume, they’re not really safe for me to run up and down,” he said.
He said that’s what inspired his initial invention.
Beattie found a six-foot cardboard tube in his garage, and he and his daughter got to work.
“Before we decorated anything, we set the tube up with the same angle and dropped a few pieces of candy down to make sure it would work,” he said.
Then they decorated it with orange spray paint and black duct tape. Once complete, he tied it to the railing and tried a few more tests. The candy flew down with ease.
Now on top of keeping folks from coming up and down his steep steps, Beattie also has a way to make social distancing fun.
“You know, this year with safety concerns out there, people in some cases have immune deficiencies. I myself was born with an immune deficiency,” he said.
The homemade chute allows for zero contact and social distancing. Beattie plans to put on gloves and a mask, ask trick-or-treaters to put their bags and buckets up to the chute and let the candy slide right in.
Excited with his invention, Beattie posted a picture on Facebook garnering national attention and inspiring a few copycats.
More than anything though, he said he’s glad he’s found a way to keep the spirit of Halloween alive.
“A good way to get back to that mental and emotional wellness, not just the health wellness pertaining to the pandemic as well,” he said.
According to the CDC recommendations, using a chute like this to hand out candy to trick or treaters or leaving a bowl with prepared goodie bags would qualify as a moderate risk activity.
To minimize that risk, the CDC recommends washing your hands before preparing or handing out any candy and especially before eating it.
