In the words of Randy from American Idol: “It’s a no from me, dawg.”

If we truly think about it, is it the smartest decision to allow your at-risk children to be in the company of others who may or may not have been exposed to the virus? Spoiler Alert: it’s not.

I know, I know. Trick or treating is one of the most popular traditions of this season. Growing up, I remember seeing the kids in their costumes going up and down the street, asking the neighbors for candy. I, unfortunately, wouldn’t be allowed to go out for safety reasons. It was cute back then, but now, during a pandemic, it’s a laughable concept.

I’ve seen articles of certain states setting guidelines for trick or treating. For example, in Lake Tahoe, Calif., the guidelines involve low-risk activities such as attending car-based outings where people don’t leave their car, such as contests or movies, or driving through an area with Halloween displays for their kids to see but again, not leaving the car.

In Connecticut, the rules are similar. Gov. Ned Lamont has been stringent on how Halloween should operate in the state. Parties and large gatherings are prohibited but we all know, as college students, we’re more inclined to break the rules. However, when it comes to children, we shouldn’t be so lackadaisical for the sake of letting them have some semblance of normalcy.

Children are the most vulnerable, next to senior citizens, to COVID-19, because of this, it would be very irresponsible for a parent to let their child go out and try to get candy from a stranger. That, by definition, is already problematic. If any parents are reading this, think about it, we’re in the middle of a pandemic and the last thing you want is someone accidentally sneezing on your kid’s candy.

Let’s be real: pandemic aside, that’s just really, really gross.

There are other ways to celebrate Halloween without going outside. Again, for parents, tell your children spooky ghost stories in the dark, put on a few classic Halloween movies, or if you don’t want the responsibility of entertaining your child, give them candy in a basket and let them have at it; they’ll tire themselves out eventually and you didn’t even have to leave the house. I just beg of you, don’t let them wander the streets in search of candy during a global health crisis.