Halloween is the one day of the year where being scared isn’t only accepted, it’s encouraged.

But with worrying signs of a potential coronavirus rebound in California and cases surging to unprecedented heights in other parts of the U.S., government officials and health experts say this year’s fright night carries a very real threat.

State officials have been driving home the message that, with the virus still widespread, Californians shouldn’t celebrate the holiday like normal.

Trick-or-treating is strongly discouraged and, in some places, banned. Major events, such as West Hollywood’s Halloween Carnaval and the Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor haunt in Long Beach, have been scrapped.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.