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Halloween Attractions Take COVID-19 Precautions for Visitors, Staff

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Halloween is quickly approaching, which means the return of haunted houses and spooky events.

But this year due to COVID-19, organizers have to put precautions in place to keep visitors and staff safe.

“We had meetings on how we could safely bring people through, we decided that we could do it,” said Linda Spencer of the Manistee GhostShip. “It’s such a large part of our revenue every year that we kind of felt that we had to try and figure out how to do it.”

The Ghost Farm in Kingsley also had to make some tough decisions regarding opening this season.

“Typically we would have three different themes going on we’d have a cursed barn, then we’d do a haunted trail, and then we would do a themed gravely greenhouse,” said Ghost Farm owner Desirae Dine. “This year we have the outdoor event the haunted trail, that way we can space our actors out, we can space our guests out, they’re not in that confined location in the barn or the greenhouse.”

The Ghost Farm operates a little different this year, as well. Guests check in and wait  in their car for their reservation to open.

“Masks are required at this time and probably for the rest of October as well,” said Dine. “We feel it’s like a safer option here for everyone involved.”

The GhostShip is also requiring masks to enter their haunted attraction.

“For people coming on board, you have to have a mask,” said Spencer. “If you can’t we understand, we’ll see you next year, but I got a lot of people to keep safe.”

They will also be sanitizing frequently and only allowing 20 people on each deck.

“All of our actors will either be back behind a partition or we have rules that they can not get close to our customers,” said Spencer. “We want people to be comfortable when they come through.”

Even though this year may look different, people have still been excited for their favorite haunted attractions to open this year.

“We’re getting so many emails,” said Robby Laurain of the GhostShip. “Are we opening, what times are we going to be open, how are we keeping everyone safe and so on.”

Dine said people have been giving her positive feedback on her Haunted Trail.

“I was absolutely flabbergasted by that. I thought we’d get so much pushback,” said Dine. “I think everyone’s been understanding.”

“When you come aboard you have enough things to be afraid of,” said Laurain. “We don’t want the virus to be one of them.”

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