Trick-Or-Treaters Take To The Streets Again In Pittsburgh This Halloween
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- COVID-19 really scared people last Halloween, but tonight there was a sense of normalcy in neighborhoods as trick or treaters were running house to house.
Last year, kids weren't really going door to door, and neighbors weren't putting candy directly into kids' bags, but those traditions returned this Halloween - along with some new traditions.
Ghosts, witches, princesses, superheroes, and more took over streets in Allegheny County.
Neighbors on Dewey Street in Etna thought this spook-tacular Halloween was almost back to normal.
COVID-19 caused quite the scare in 2020.
"The parents had the masks. They kept a distance, and we had masks on," said Gloria Ricci from Etna.
"We didn't have too many kids, there weren't many trick or treaters last year," said Chelsey Wojcik Larok from Etna.
On Kinvara Drive in Ross Township Sunday night, people set up tables and fire pits in their driveways… a new tradition that started last year in many communities.
"It's so nice because last year with COVID, with everyone being afraid and everything, you weren't allowed to go up to the doors," said Myra Bernhardt of Ross Township. "So people started putting tables in their driveways and people came out and had a great time."
Families were relieved they felt safer this Halloween.
"People are coming closer and interacting more, so it's been nice," Bernhardt said.
"I think a lot more people are out and about, and I think it feels like it always has," said Melanie Mayer of Ross Township.
Kids could run house to house and fill their bags with treats.
"Just giving people a sense of normalcy and getting back to everything that they love to do," Wojcik Larok said.
"It's nice, I mean it's still not normal, but we're getting there," Ricci said. "I think we are."
The CDC says outdoor activities are safer, but health experts still recommended staying at least 6 feet apart or wearing a mask if you weren't social distancing.
And it was a safe Halloween with no reports of trick-or-treat injuries or major incidents, according to Allegheny County dispatchers.