Plans are being made in many communities for trick-or-treat activities on Halloween, about six weeks from today.

That should come as happy news for the many youngsters for whom Halloween night is among the happiest times of the year.

The annual rite of going door-to-door collecting candy and treats along the way is highly cherished, but we need to remember, it’s trick-or-treat — there are ghouls out there and other invisible dangers to haunt us.

We cannot forget the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, an invisible threat that should be added to the list of scary creatures for which the season is noted. We will not be surprised to see the older participants in this magical night sporting balls with cones on their heads and masquerading as the COVID-19.

Halloween has always been scary — scary may be fun, if it’s in a safe environment, after all.

So we exercise more caution on dark streets while dressed as witches and angels and toting bags full of goodies. We go to homes with lights on. There was even a day when parents took their children’s haul to the local emergency room to have the treats scanned for needles and razors before they could be consumed.

So what will happen this year?

Will wrapped candies be held for three days to give time for any potential germs to die off naturally? Or will we look at local cases and decide the risk is not so great that we need to go to an extreme?

These are decisions for parents to make on behalf of their children.

While we should not allow fear to dictate our lives, we should proceed with caution.

Hey, Halloween means masks, to a degree — so remember to have the kids wear masks designed to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Go to homes you know and trust. Avoid crowding each other on porches. But let the tradition continue.

Childhood only comes once.