Photo Credit: allrecipes.com
It’s that time of year when the air is crisp, the leaves are changing colors, and the spirit of autumn and Halloween emerge. Fall is finally here, and that involves many fun-filled fall activities such as pumpkin patch visits and corn mazes, but living in the age of a pandemic has changed things up a bit. The risk of Covid-19 exposure has caused many farms and businesses to change up their strategy in providing activities for people this year.
Across the country, many farms and businesses have implemented admission policies to decrease crowd density. Some have set up ticket reservation systems and timed entries, and capacity limitations have been implemented to ensure the health of workers and guests. These businesses cannot accommodate as many people this year compared to prior years, and various safety measures are being put into place. There have been changes at several pumpkin patches , including Hank’s Pumpkintown in Water Mill, New York. The pumpkin farm has added hand washing stations and hand sanitizer dispensers throughout the farm’s grounds. This was put into place to ensure that hygiene and cleaning procedures are their top priority.
Other fall activities such as hayrides have been changed to accommodate health and safety guidelines during the pandemic. Going on a hayride with your family and other families in close proximity is a rising concern, and maintaining social distancing on these hayrides is key. New York State requires that masks and social distancing are maintained while doing these Autumn activities, and following these requirements will have no impact on the fun that you have! Even corn mazes have changed things up this year by providing wider paths or even passing lanes so maze-goers can distance themselves from others. Some mazes have even eliminated dead-end options and set up easier and less confusing paths this year.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the ways that we go about yearly fall activities, but we can still enjoy them if we do our part. Wearing face masks, hand washing, and social distancing does not interfere with the activities of the season. These requirements have been put into place to stop the spread. They haven’t stopped the fun, so stay safe when engaging in these activities this season.
