BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — "Announcing that you're canceling Halloween is a fairly bold statement to make I don't know how you do that," said Kern County Chief Administrative Officer Ryan Alsop, chiming in on questions surrounding the upcoming holiday season.

As Halloween approaches, residents are wondering what the holiday will look like. After previously announcing that traditional trick-or-treating wouldn't be allowed in Los Angeles this Halloween due to COVID-19 risks, the city backtracked slightly, now simply recommending against the annual event.

Following these decisions out of Los Angeles, Alsop decided to clear any questions regarding holiday activities in Kern County.

"You can't cancel Halloween, are we going cancel Thanksgiving and cancel Christmas, I'm not sure what that means," Alsop said.

Alsop continuing to say that while the county has no plans right now to cancel holidays, they will continue to urge residents to practice
public health protocols. He said that as we head into the next three months, the issue becomes one of personal responsibility.

"We are in that phase where people need to take personal responsibility and do all the things we've been talking about to protect themselves and others," he said.