SANTA FE – The state of New Mexico on Tuesday announced a calendar of 13 family-friendly Halloween activities New Mexicans can safely enjoy at home all through the month of October.

By visiting TogetherNM.org, New Mexicans will find recipes, arts and crafts ideas and other suggestions on how to celebrate Halloween safely.

“This is a year like no other, as we all know,” said Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. “We can’t spend time with friends and our neighbors the way we want to. But a holiday is a time to remember that we are all together in this struggle even when we’re physically apart, and I hope New Mexico families can safely enjoy this Halloween by partaking in some of these safe, fun events.”

Beginning Oct. 11, people can post their creations on the TogetherNM.org site and are encouraged to participate in costume contests for prizes.

The public will be able to vote on the costumes at TogetherNM.org and winners will be announced on Halloween.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued recommendations and guidelines for low- and high-risk Halloween activities. Those guidelines can be found here.

According to the CDC, those higher-risk activities that should be avoided in order to reduce the risk of virus transmission include:

• Participating in traditional trick-or-treating where treats are handed to children who go door to door
• Having trunk-or-treat where treats are handed out from trunks of cars lined up in large parking lots
• Attending crowded costume parties held indoors
• Going to an indoor haunted house where people may be crowded together and screaming
• Going on hayrides or tractor rides with people who are not in your household
• Using alcohol or drugs, which can cloud judgement and increase risky behaviors
• Traveling to a rural fall festival that is not in your community if you live in an area with community spread of COVID-19

Lower-risk activities as outlined by the CDC include some of those the state has included in its 13 family-friendly activities. Those lower-risk and COVID-safe Halloween activities are:

• Carving or decorating pumpkins with members of your household and displaying them
• Carving or decorating pumpkins outside, at a safe distance, with neighbors or friends
• Decorating your house, apartment, or living space
• Doing a Halloween scavenger hunt where children are given lists of Halloween-themed things to look for while they walk outdoors from house to house admiring Halloween decorations at a distance
• Having a virtual Halloween costume contest
• Having a Halloween movie night with people you live with

The state’s emergency health order and all its operative guidelines and restrictions – including the requirement to wear facemasks at all times in public and the restriction on gatherings of more than 10 individuals – applies to all prospective Halloween events and activities.