COVID-19 numbers are on the rise almost everywhere in the United States. Pittsburgh area hospital doctors said they’re seeing more COVID-19 patients in the hospital now than they have at any other point in the pandemic. Pitt reported 21 new cases on Tuesday — more than it has in weeks. Rising case numbers are reason for concern, especially over Halloween, which is on Saturday. College students notoriously dress up and drink, and children go door to door trick-or-treating. It makes sense that experts are worried the holiday is going to cause cases to spike even further — similar to what happened over Memorial Day weekend.

We still want to celebrate Halloween, and we assume you probably do too, so in the spirit of the holiday, we’re offering our top 10 socially responsible ways to celebrate Halloween in the time of COVID-19.

10. Ghost hunt 

The Centers for Disease Control and Protection hasn’t said anything about this, but we’re fairly sure ghosts can’t transmit or catch COVID-19. Some places we recommend looking — the basement of the WPU, a 54 bus that arrives on time, your basement and your backpack. Yeah, we know you haven’t opened it since March.

9. Sit on the porch

You can sit on your porch and seeth about the students who choose to party regardless of the global pandemic. Or you can just sit on your porch because it’s one of the only stimulating things to do right now.

8. Eat an entire bag of Halloween candy

To stimulate the economy of Halloween candy on this strange Halloween, you should still buy Halloween candy. Or at least, this is what we’re telling ourselves. The cashier at Target doesn’t need to know that you’re going to eat that assortment bag of Milk Duds, Kit Kats, Reese’s and M&Ms on your own. But in any case, own it.

7. Watch some scary stuff

You could just turn on the news, but in case you want a break from that, or you’re not into scary stuff, The Pitt News has some good recommendations for you. 

6. Dress up in costume anyway

The CDC recommends wearing a costume with a mask covering the nose and mouth if you’re going outside on Halloween. But The Pitt News Editorial Board recommends staying in with your pod and wearing the most alien costume of all in the time of COVID-19 — jeans and a nice shirt.  

5. Scare yourself about the future

Haunted houses seem to be pretty high risk environments in the time of COVID-19, but some people still want to be scared this Halloween. In this case, we have a few recommendations. You can start thinking about joining the workforce, or internship applications, or how you’re going to have to pay $1500 to apply to graduate schools, or the upcoming election. That should do it. You could also go to a haunted car wash, apparently, but why bother leaving your house?

4. Pod party

We have all aged at least 30 years since pod week at the beginning of the semester. But it’s fun to grow old with your friends — or your pod — even if it’s at an accelerated rate. So raise a glass to all those years on Halloween, so long as you’re being socially responsible.

3. Dress up your pets

Put a cute costume on your dog, and take a bunch of photos. Then post them on Facebook so your relatives can comment about how cute your animal looks, and you can feel something. 

2. Make some spooky foods

You can find recipes for Bloody Mary syringes, Rice Krispie mummies, chocolate eyeballs, toxic waste mac and cheese and a whole plethora of other terrifying foods. Or you could just make a salad.

1. Don’t

Honestly, 2020 has been scary enough.