What is Quarantine-O-Ween? People are wearing Halloween costumes to ward off coronavirus anxieties.

Does the prospect of going outside give you a fright?

Stay home, wear your best costume and give Quarantine-O-Ween a try.

What is Quarantine-O-Ween, exactly?

For one, it’s something to do for everyone stuck at home social distancing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

You simply put on a Halloween costume and share pictures of your off-season attire on social media using the hashtag #QuarantineOWeen. Decorations, horror movies, candy and ghost stories are also welcome.

Quarantine-O-Ween arrives Tuesday, March 31, in lieu of October 31. This means you can get dressed up as Joe Exotic from Netflix’s “Tiger King” seven months early!

The idea for the socially distanced “holiday” comes from the Halloween community, where Halloween is celebrated 365 days a year. From there, the idea made its way to a Women in Parks and Recreation Facebook Group, where Noreen Wilpiszeski saw it.

Wilpiszeski, recreation director for Middlesex Borough, posted about the event on the recreation Facebook page.

“We have had over 800,000 hits on the post and it’s gone as far as South Africa, so it’s really gotten a great reach," she tells NJ Advance Media.

Since events have been canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak, she’s tried other ways to lighten the mood, like making 100 sanitized go-bags containing crafts and chalk and placing them around town. The impromptu Halloween celebration comes at a great time, she says, given the fact that the borough’s Easter egg hunt was scheduled to be this Saturday, but was obviously canceled due to the pandemic.

“Most likely I’m going to be putting on my hippo onesie," she says of her own Quarantine-O-Ween costume.

Justine Clemente-Roome, 29, of San Diego, was the first to share the #QuarantineOWeen hashtag on Instagram about a week ago after a friend mentioned the idea. She goes by the name “ghostine” on social media.

“In the Instagram community, at least the community that I follow very closely, there’s a very avid, very dedicated, very enthusiastic Halloween community of people that are just supportive of the holiday year-round. It’s just kind of the lifestyle," she tells NJ Advance Media.

“It’s the 31st, we’re all stuck at home. Why not?”

Some may not appreciate anything macabre during such a grim time, but Clemente-Roome sees Quarantine-O-Ween as a way of putting a spin on the fear that we’re already dealing with on a daily basis. After all, ritual, including holidays, can hold the potential to calm and unite, even when we’re physically apart. Social media and video chats can sub in for carefree days going door-to-door for candy, or nights out partying in our costumes.

“It’s trying to incorporate some normalcy, take us out of the this stir-crazy restlessness that we’re in," she says. “Everyone just kind of feels like they’re in this limbo of life right now.”

Roxanne Rhoads designed the orange-and-black Quarantine-O-Ween image that has been circulating far and wide on social media.

“Halloween fun in the time of corona,” she wrote on the graphic, which she shared several days ago on Instagram.

She saw the concept posted online at The Samhain Society, a Halloween group she frequents where likeminded bloggers and vloggers gather to celebrate all things that go bump in the night.

“We like any excuse to put out our decorations and dress up," Rhoads tells NJ Advance Media. At least some of her Halloween decor stays up all year.

Later, Spirit Halloween, the national costume retailer based in Egg Harbor Township, picked up on the vibe and shared her invitation on Instagram.

“All of a sudden it was just everywhere," says Rhoads, 43, of Flint, Michigan, author of the book “Haunted Flint." She runs the website A Bewitching Guide to All Things Halloween.

Normally, Rhoads sees a lot of “halfway to Halloween” celebrations pop up around May 1 or 2. Shifting the occasion was no problem, especially since spring parties are canceled indefinitely.

“People really need something to look forward to right now, something to brighten things up," she says. “So many things have been canceled: kids’ programs and graduations. It’s just a collective feeling of disappointment."

Whether wearing a costume can inject a little fun into routine homeschooling or provide an excuse to play “Monster Mash," it’s one way to shake things up when days start to meld into one long binge-watching session.

“This definitely gives an opportunity for a fun, creative outlet,” Rhoads says. “Everyone can do it from home.”

Social distancing precludes trick-or-treating, but families could stage a scavenger hunt or trunk-or-treat for candy in the living room, driveway (in the customary place: their car’s trunk) or yard (limited to your immediate household).

Don’t have a costume? Get creative with what you have in the house, Rhoads says. Have kids make masks out of craft supplies and makeup. Watch a scary movie. Tell ghost stories (maybe not of the pandemic variety), as if everyone is gathered around a campfire.

Clemente-Roome plans to wear a Bride of Frankenstein costume to match her infant son, Revan, who will be Frankenstein’s monster. Maybe they’ll even livestream the occasion, she says.

“Who doesn’t love Halloween and dressing up?"

Have a tip? Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook.

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