The coronavirus won’t cancel the annual Boo at the Zoo, but it will force almost everyone — including adults — to wear masks this year while trick-or-treating.
The Lincoln Children’s Zoo worked with the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department on a plan to preserve the event, which it released Tuesday:
Among the major changes:
* Capacity will be limited to 90 people allowed to enter the zoo every 15 minutes, or 1,080 per night. In previous years, up to 3,500 would come through the gates each night.
* To make up for that, the event will run eight nights — Oct. 23-30 — instead of the traditional five. Hours are 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
* Tickets must be reserved for specific time slots, and guests are expected to stay in their vehicles until their ticket time. Tickets are $6.95 for nonmembers and free for members, but everyone must buy a $3.50 bag if they plan to collect candy.
* Groups are limited to eight people, with exceptions made for larger families. The zoo is asking guests over 60, those with underlying health conditions and those at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 to stay home.
* Booth volunteers will be limited to two to three people, and no volunteers over 60 will be allowed.
Once inside the gates, parents and trick-or-treaters will find visual markers reminding them to social distance, and physical barriers to create a one-way traffic flow.
The zoo is also mandating several health and safety requirements: All guests 5 and older must wear masks; zoo staff will have their temperatures taken each night, and must wear masks and gloves; candy must remain packaged until at the booth and then only opened while wearing gloves.
And zoo staff will implement sanitation steps — placing sanitizer stations throughout the zoo; sanitizing the train between each ride; and regularly disinfecting high-touch surfaces such as benches, tables, chairs and door handles.
For more details, go to and click Boo at the Zoo under the Events tab.