Halted Halloween? How some plan to celebrate this year and what the county is advising

The year 2020 has been anything but normal. While the pandemic has impacted the health of thousands of Americans, it also has interfered with other aspects, such as group gatherings and Halloween.

"We recommend no trick-or-treating, however, invite up to 2 other families to the house and eat dinner in the backyard. You can have your own virtual costume contest. Think of other ways to celebrate Halloween," said Riverside University Health System Assistant Director, Michael Osur.

Within the past few weeks, Riverside County has encouraged people to take part in alternate ways of celebrating in a safe way.

Halloween is a holiday many families look forward to, whether that means getting dressed up in costumes, visiting haunted houses, or filling up on bags of candy.

"We noticed over the years a lot of people don’t decorate for Halloween. It’s one of those things I got such a great childhood memory, so [I'm] passing it on," said Palm Desert resident, Tricia Eppelheimer.

For about 15 years Eppelheimer and her husband, David, have set up a haunted house that has grown bigger and better overtime. In recent years Eppelheimer said visitors have grown up to about 400 people on Halloween night.

"We’ll have more things added to it so you’re just seeing a test run, trial run, adjustments, placing-- getting ready for the big night," said Eppelheimer.

The couple doesn't reveal what it will look like until the day of.

"We don't really like spoilers," said Eppelheimer.

Eppelheimer allowed News Channel 3 to get a sneak peak of what potential visitors can expect.

"We quickly put it up that night, take it down for the following year," Eppelheimer said.

On Wednesday a fence surrounded the lawn on each side of the driveway. One side is slated to have a cemetery. The couple also demonstrated how a candy shoot they built, will allow candy to travel through a pole and drop into a bin that happens to be at the bottom of a guillotine. The candy shoot, Eppelheimer said, will allow kids to get their sweets at a distance.

The house, however, will look very different this year compared to years past due to the pandemic.

"It’s much scaled down. As much as we love Halloween, we’re not certain how many people we’re going to have. We also don’t want so many people."

Because of COVID-19, it will not be a haunted house this year. Instead, kids will have the opportunity to walk up, grab their candy from the shoot, and exit.

"Best costumes, we definitely reward with king size candy bars," said Eppelheimer.

The couple has even ensured having gluten-free candy on-hand.

They're unaware how many people will show up this year. Both plan to have the set-up finished and ready to visit from dusk to about 8:30 p.m.

If families are skeptical, Eppelheimer believes it is up to them to assess their own risk. She also proposed washing the candy, if in fact, visitors are skeptical.

The question now remains whether many families will make it out, and if law enforcement will be around to enforce.

"Staff will be on hand and obviously we’ll be out and about, but any significant changes in our operation, not at this time," Indio Police Department spokesperson, Benjamin Guitron said.

The Indio Police Department and Riverside County Sheriff Department do not plan to enforce the measures, but the advise the public to adhere to public health guidelines related to COVID-19.

Palm Springs Police Department told News Channel 3 that they plan to have additional officers on-hand.