Forget about trick-or-treating door to door this year.
And keep the monster bash small.
The Pima County Health Department says the pandemic is making traditional Halloween celebrations too risky this year.
Health officials are recommending alternative ways to celebrate to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Avoid activities like trick-or-treating, haunted houses, festivals and Halloween parties and gatherings that mix members of different households, the Health Department said Tuesday.
βTake precautionsβ
βTrunk-or-treatβ events, where children go car to car instead of home to home for candy, are also dangerous because itβs hard to avoid crowding in those instances, the department said in a news release.
βEven in masks, which could fit right in with a costume, celebrants face risks unless they take precautions,β the department said.
The Health Department is suggesting people have online parties for activities like pumpkin carving or costume contests.
Drive-thru events where people dress up, decorate their vehicles or drive through areas to look at Halloween decorations while staying in their vehicle would also be safe alternatives.
Trick or treating while staying in a vehicle and where the organizer giving treat bags has appropriate personal protective equipment would also mitigate the spread of the virus, the department said.
βThe entire 2020 holiday season will look different this year,β Dr. Theresa Cullen, director of the Health Department, said in the news release.
βI encourage everyone to have fun, but do so safely.
βRegardless of how you choose to celebrate Halloween, it is important to continue to wear face masks, wash your hands or use hand sanitizer, and follow physical distancing.β
Photos: Kids celebrate Halloween 2019 with costumed characters at Tucson Medical Center
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Dressed as Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Hannah Stakley an events coordinator with Truly Nolen helps Elliott Faux, 2, decorate a plastic pumpkin with stickers during one of the company's Spooktacular community outreach programs at Tucson Medical Center, on Oct. 29, 2019.
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October Hernandez, 12, decorates a plastic pumpkin with Cecelia Fleishman an employee with Truly Nolen dressed as Jessie from Toy Story during one of the company's Spooktacular community outreach programs at Tucson Medical Center, on Oct. 29, 2019.
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October Hernandez, 12, decorates a plastic pumpkin with Cecelia Fleishman an employee with Truly Nolen dressed as Jessie from Toy Story during one of the company's Spooktacular community outreach programs at Tucson Medical Center, on Oct. 29, 2019.
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Elliott Faux, 2, is handed a plastic pumpkin by Ray Rico, a limo driver and community outreach coordinator with Truly Nolen, who dressed as Batman for the company's Spooktacular community outreach programs at Tucson Medical Center, on Oct. 29, 2019.
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Truly Nolen workers dressed up as various Disney and comic book characters unpack a wagon full of plastic pumpkins for one of the company's Spooktacular community outreach programs at Tucson Medical Center, on Oct. 29, 2019.
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Ray Rico, a limo driver and community outreach coordinator with Truly Nolen, dressed as Batman for the company's Spooktacular community outreach programs at Tucson Medical Center, on Oct. 29, 2019.
Spooktacular
Updated
Dressed as Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Hannah Stakley an events coordinator with Truly Nolen helps Elliott Faux, 2, decorate a plastic pumpkin with stickers during one of the company's Spooktacular community outreach programs at Tucson Medical Center, on Oct. 29, 2019.
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Dressed as Jasmine fro Aladdin, Seleena Alverez an Advertising Team member with Truly Nolen plays with toy cars with Elliott Faux, 2, during one of the company's Spooktacular community outreach programs at Tucson Medical Center, on Oct. 29, 2019.
