 As Pikeville and Pike County ramp up for trick-or-treating this Thursday, Pike County health director Tammy Riley spoke with Mountaintop about some simple safety tips that you should take before going out this year. So inspect all candy when you get home. So have a nice meal or some warm food for the child before going out and that does help eliminate the temptation of snacking or nibbling on the treats before they can be inspected. And very important are choking hazards for the very young children, so ensure that you remove like hard candies, gums, small toys and treats that are placed in the Halloween bags for the very young children. So you want to be careful with that and throw anything away that would be a choking hazard. Other safety tips include checking the visibility of your child's costume and testing the effects of makeup before full application. Doctors can also check costumes for vision obstructions and confirm that costumes are flame resistant. And then just your overall COVID recommendations, as again that we've been recommending for about 18 months now is just good hand hygiene, practice good social distancing, cover coughs and sneezes, but particularly for the unvaccinated in congested indoor settings, it's highly recommended that they continue to wear a mask. And even for those that are vaccinated in communities with high levels of transmission, which were still in that in that area, unfortunately, even for those at high risk indoors should likely should wear their mask. Here at Pikeville Medical Center's Heart and Vascular Institute, we have assembled a comprehensive team of cardiac specialists bringing expertise from all regions of the nation and the world. We have coupled that with cutting edge technology, providing them the best equipment and operating rooms available. The result is comprehensive cardiac care for the people of our region that is second to none. The Heart and Vascular Institute at Pikeville Medical Center. The Pike County Health Department also recommends individuals at high risk in congested areas to wear masks and avoid poorly ventilated areas. Probably the most important public health recommendation of all is to protect those around you, especially these younger children who to date cannot vaccinate. So protect those children around you by seeking vaccination. It is still our number one defense against COVID-19. Trick-or-treat times in Pike County and Pikeville are from 6 to 8 p.m. October 28th. If you have questions regarding Halloween safety, you can visit fda.gov keyword Halloween safety tips. For Mountain Top News, I'm Joel Korgel.