Purple pumpkins are going to be on the porches across the Island this Halloween - and it's because of COVID-19.

Seeing a purple pumpkin while out trick-or-treating this Halloween means the house is a safe spot to grab some candy.

Nassau County officials want to spread the word about the purple pumpkin initiative so people can feel safe while they're trick-or-treating.

"The resident is wearing a mask, is distributing individually wrapped candies, is maintaining the proper sanitary conditions under COVID," says Legislator Bill Gaylor.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has given the OK for parents and children to go door to door for Halloween candy.

In front of Lynbrook Village Hall Tuesday, Gaylor and the mayor of Lynbrook announced that people can print out pictures of purple pumpkins from the websites of the village or the legislator.

Pediatrician Dr. John Zaso says parents and kids need to be careful when going door to door on Halloween, and that the printout doesn't mean a house is virus-free.

"We have to maintain that 6 feet of social distancing, everybody have a mask on, Halloween masks don't count," he says. "Ideally you'll have a bowl of candy out so you can keep your distance. But you don't know if you're going to spread, some people may be asymptomatic. The biggest thing is social distancing."

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran says you can leave bags of candy outside of your house to keep clean and distant this Halloween. 

MORE: BOO! 7 safe Halloween activities to help you avoid the scare of COVID-19