By Eman Taha
UNIVERSITY CITY, SHARJAH – Halloween at the American University of Sharjah will be different this year, the university announcing new guidelines Oct. 18 to promote safer trick-or-treating during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Epicenter staff announced in an email new precautions to campus residents to promote safety during the Halloween festivities, including a prohibition of door-to-door trick-or-treating. Instead, trick-or-treaters should follow a planned-out route (a “Halloween Hunt”) with hidden surprises along the way. Indoor gatherings, parties or haunted houses of any kind are also prohibited.
To avoid overcrowding, each residential housing area is assigned a time slot for the Halloween Hunt, and “social distancing monitors [will] oversee the treat distribution from both East and West housing areas.”
Face masks must be worn in public settings and during the Halloween Hunt, and the Epicenter email made clear that “a costume mask is not a substitute for a cloth mask.” Epicenter staff are also planning a “Design a Halloween Face Mask Competition.”
AUS staff are also advising all residents to stay home for Halloween if experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.
