Halloween in downtown neighborhoods will be a quiet affair this year. Hoping to halt further spread of the coronavirus, neighborhood associations will not be closing streets and are discouraging trick-or-treating to keep crowds at bay.

On Beacon Hill, where costumed children usually crowd its narrow streets, the Beacon Hill Civic Association (BHCA) is instead planning an online event for children the day before Halloween.

“This year, people are concerned about large groups, even if they’re masked up, congregating in the very small streets and alleyways of Beacon Hill,” said Rob Whitney, the group’s chair.

“We’re encouraging people to plan their own activities amongst friends and family so that they’re not exposing themselves to the virus,” Whitney said.

Regular trick-or-treating has been labeled “higher risk” by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), while distributing individually wrapped candy bags with social distancing is considered a “moderate risk.”

While Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker has said he’s not cancelling Halloween statewide, he called indoor Halloween parties “a really bad idea” earlier this month.

In Salem, the site of the world-famous witch trials which usually welcomes around half a million visitors in October, the city is asking tourists who haven’t already made reservations to stay away.

In Boston, where the city’s positive COVID-19 test rate is rising, mayor Marty Walsh has yet to announce trick-or-treating guidelines. The BHCA usually coordinates its efforts with the city’s transportation department and police force to close streets, like Cedar Lane Way, that are popular with trick-or-treaters.

Instead of the outdoor programming, the BHCA will offer an hour-long story time and costume contest on October 30. The children’s event will be followed by a Zoom cocktail hour for adults.

In the Back Bay, the neighborhood association (NABB) is also canceling its annual closure of Marlborough Street for trick-or-treating.

“This is a holiday that really calls for people to walk up to others and say hello, which is wonderful, but all that stuff we can’t do this year,” said Elliot Laffer, NABB’s chair. He said NABB is similarly planning live Zoom activities for families on October 31.

“We’re trying to figure out how to say to the kids in the neighborhood that we wish we could do what we usually do, and here’s something we hope you’ll enjoy.”