Cancel Any Planned Trips to Salem, MA For Halloween This Year

The town of Salem, Massachusetts is the epicenter of all things Halloween each October, but 2020 gut punched everyone wanting to make a visit this year.  The City of Salem announced today that they will be closing up shop for the last two weekends in October.

Home to the infamous Witch Trials in 1692, tourists flock to Salem each year for "Haunted Happenings" events around Salem that celebrate Halloween. Those events were cancelled earlier this year, but now the city has taken further steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as the Board of Health has issued an executive order requiring all businesses to close by 8 p.m. on October 29 to 31. The city recommends businesses do the same for October 23 to 25, but does not require it.

“While we have seen around half the visitors to Salem this October than we've had in previous years, we still have had large numbers of people here throughout the month,” said Mayor Kim Driscoll in a press release issued Wednesday. “Ordinarily, there is no better place to celebrate Halloween than Salem. Our first priority from the outset of this pandemic has been keeping residents, employees, and visitors healthy and safe."

This couldn't have been an easy decision for Salem. A lot of cash flows into the city during the Halloween season, but they are putting safety first and saying that Salem will still be here after the pandemic passes. Let's hope this time next year Salem has the biggest Haunted Happenings of all time with no COVID risk.