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In the epicenter of everything Halloween, some Salem attractions are using new technology to keep it from being too scary of a place when it comes to COVID-19.

Some in the Witch City are prepping for record crowds and they plan on doing everything they can to keep everyone safe as possible from COVID-19.

“We have learned over the last 18 months how to operate efficiently and safely,” said Taylor Dunn, spokeswoman for the Salem Wax Museum.

For the past 30 years, Dunn’s family has owned and operated the museum. She said they have invested in safety and sanitary protocols for the Halloween season.

Among them, a protective tape is installed on nearly all of the high-touch surfaces.

“This product allows us to share with them and illustrate that the surface is clean and safe to touch,” she said.

From door handles to hand railings to candy jars, almost everything people can touch is wrapped in what’s known as Silver Defender.

“Silver Defender is an anti-microbial protection film,” said Dave Najarian, president of SJ Services, the company brought in to install the protective measures at the museum.

Najarian said the tape is self-protecting by using silver ion technology. Essentially, he said, the more the tape is touched, the better it works in fighting the spread of the virus.

“Every single person that touches it, there is no transfer of any microbes to the next person. It immediately is rendered powerless,” he said.

For the staff at the museum, putting systems like that in place is about protecting not only the thousands of visitors but the community of Salem as a whole.

“It’s symbolic to say our doors are open and they’re open safely,” Dunn said.

The protective material is good and effective for about 90 days, which will get them through the busy season. The museum is planning to reapply it and use it all year.

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