As Halloween quickly approaches, many parents are concerned about the safety of having their kids go trick-or-treating. While some municipalities have banned or placed restrictions on trick-or-treating due to the coronavirus pandemic, other parts of the country have refused to cancel the annual tradition.

To help alleviate some of the confusion over whether it is safe to put on a costume and go door-to-door collecting candy, Hershey's launched an interactive map that will tell you if you can go trick-or-treating in your neighborhood. You can check out the map at halloween2020.org.

The map, which pulls in coronavirus data from Harvard Global Health Institute, uses a color-coded system to rank the risk for every county in the United States. Low-risk zones are green, followed by yellow, orange, and red, which marks the high-risk areas of the country. The candy company offers suggestions on how to safely celebrate Halloween for each category.

If you are in the green zone, you can trick-or-treat all night long.

"It's on like Donkey Kong! Study up on the official trick or treat guidelines and make sure to stay safe while trick or treating," Hershey's wrote.

Those who live in yellow zones are advised they can go out trick-or-treating but should still be cautious and try to avoid visiting homes that don't have safety measures in place. Hershey's also suggested "yeeting" the candy to help facilitate social distancing.

"This trendy new lingo means to throw (something) forcefully in a specified direction. So, huddle with the neighborhood beforehand and get everyone on board to Yeet the Treats! Reminiscent of those nostalgic days gone by where parade floats threw out candy to kids who patiently stood by. "

If you live an orange zone, Hershey's recommends avoiding door-to-door trick-or-treating. Instead, they suggest reverse trick-or-treating, where costumed kids hang out in the front yard as neighbors walk by and give them candy. They also suggested a neighborhood candy hunt or Halloween-themed pub crawl for the adults.

"For all the late-night shenanigan seekers who are over the (blue) moon excited about having an extra hour to celebrate this year, some social distancing shots may be in order! Set up driveway stations with Halloween libations and reconnect with your neighborhood pals!"

If you are in the red zone, Hershey's has some fun suggestions, such as hosting a Zoom Halloween party or getting together to watch scary movies on Netflix. They also said parents could put together a Halloween-themed dinner/costume party.

"Don't just wear the costume… become the costume! Plan a Halloween feast for your fam with one simple rule… everyone must stay in costume AND in character for the entire meal! Give each participant some time to come up with an accent and a backstory before the night begins then the laughter and the memories will be endless!"

Photo: Getty Images

Curt Williams

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