There is even more excitement than normal for Halloween this weekend as people look to get back to their traditions after the pandemic forced them to stay home last year.
While health officials have given the green light to trick and treat, there are still some pandemic precautions in place.
In San Jose, Sanders Elementary School got children off to an early start to celebrating Halloween with many students wearing costumes on Friday.
"I think it's a big deal," parent Lisa Rodriguez said of being able to celebrate Halloween. "I think it's finally having community again and family spending time together."
Julie Howard, Sanders Elementary School principal, points out all students wore COVID masks in addition to the ones that came with the costume. She said Halloween may be back, but there are still sacrifices that had to made for safety.
"We did not have a huge parade. We did not have all of our families here in the same place," Howard said. "We did not think that it was safe to gather everybody in one spot considering not everyone is vaccinated."
Santa Clara County Public Health Vaccine Director Marty Fenstersheib also emphasized wearing COVID masks even with a costume mask on and to remember who the trick or treaters are.
"If you're under 12, you're not quite eligible for a vaccine," Fenstersheib said. "So there's going to be a lot of kids out that haven't yet been vaccinated. So we need to be aware of that and give them space."
The public health department said trick or treating outdoors is relatively safe, but encourage people to wipe down wrappers before opening any candy and washing hands thoroughly before digging in. Health officials also said outdoor activities are also pretty risk-free, but should keep your distance with crowds.
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