KITCHENER -- Halloween is still more than two months away, but signs of the spooky season are already starting to appear in Waterloo Region.

Steve Rozen can’t wait and is already counting down to the big day on an outdoor display.

Skeletons have also been set up outside his home.

But will COVID-19 haunt his year’s holiday?

Rozen says he’s not ready to give up on Halloween, but is taking extra measures to keep everyone safe.

“We’re going to be cutting it down a little bit here so we don’t have the lineups we normally do,” he says. “We’ll be handing out candy with gloves on.”

At Kind of Magic, the Kitchener costume store, there are masks you can wear - over - your mask.

“It’s the time of year for wearing masks, so it works perfectly,” says Phil Cox.

He says store staff can help shoppers pick out the perfect costume, so they don’t have to try on too many outfits. Each one is also sanitized after it’s been touched.

Cox says people are already getting excited for the haunted holiday.

“Halloween is a form of escapism for everybody. It’s not like other holidays where we’re obliged to do things. Halloween is for adults to be kids again, and kids to actually be kids.”

The pandemic also hasn’t stopped seasonal popup shops from opening. Signs are already up at the Spirit Halloween location in Kitchener.

This year families will have to decide if they feel comfortable with traditional trick-or-treating.

“That’s an outdoor activity and we know outdoor activities are much safer,” says Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease expert. “We also know that there will be a lot of high contact surfaces, people handing out or putting candy directly into kid’s bags. So you might have multiple hands on the same surface. That’s a theoretical way this infection could be spread.”

But Dr. Bogoch says there is some good news.

“In general, it’s probably on the lower risk of the spectrum.”

Some are suggesting a twist on traditional celebrations.

“I hope we can see block parties,” says Cox. “I hope we can see parents leave candy at the end of the driveway, but still have their Halloween displays up.”

Whatever people decided to do this Halloween, the consensus seems to be that the spirit of the spooky season can’t be buried.

“I don’t know if you can cancel Halloween,” says Rozen. “It’s more of a feeling than just a day.”