An Ohio man has an idea to keep the coronavirus from knocking on his door this Halloween.
Andrew Beattie last Saturday shared on Facebook a photo of a orange and black “candy chute” he made with his 6-year-old daughter from materials around his house in Cincinnati.
“Our 6’ candy chute is ready to be attached to the handrail! Come on, Halloween!!!” he wrote.
Halloween is one of Beattie’s favorite holidays. The horror film fanatic has a spare room dedicated to creepy thrills all year round.
He set out to create a touch-free trick-or-treat experience to deliver candy safely. He hopes that keeping the holiday tradition alive will create a sense of normalcy for children.
“This is something that the kids will enjoy and not think of it as I’m doing this to prevent disease. They are doing it to have a good time,” Beattie told CNN.
“We need that. We need the community spirit back right now.”
The chute took about 20 minutes to create using household items such as a cardboard tube, orange spray paint and black duct tape.
On Tuesday, Beattie posted a new shot of the “candy chute” in its full effect. He decorated the tube with green and purple lights and attached it to the handrail outside his home with zip ties. At the end of the chute, he added a sign in the shape of a ghost that asks all trick-or-treaters to “place buckets here.”
On Halloween night, he plans to wear a mask and gloves or use tongs to drop candy down the chute for trick-or-treaters waiting on the other side.
Beattie’s original post has been shared over 77,000 times on Facebook. He encourages those wanting to pass out treats on the upcoming spooky season to give the “candy chute” a try.
“It’s simple and something anybody can do,” he said.