Rant: Should Restaurants Reopen Now?

I miss dining out so much, from chowing down at a local burger joint to savoring sushi and tempura at a high end Japanese restaurant. Dining out has always been one of my favorite experiences and being unable to do so has been tough. I know I'm not alone and many others miss this experience as well. Take-out and delivery is fine, but it's not the same as dining in.

I also know that this crisis has struck restaurants quite hard economically. Many restaurants are trying to adapt, offering take-out, delivery, pantry service and more, to help them survive. However, restaurant margins have never been high, so this is an especially trying time. Some restaurants won't survive, and will be forced to permanently close. Restaurant employees are in a precarious position as well. Something significant needs to be done to protect these restaurants and their employees.

So, should restaurants reopen now?

That's a complicated question. First, we have to understand the severity of Covid-19, noting that over 90,000 people have died in the U.S. over the course of a few months. Massachusetts has been especially hit hard, worse than any other New England state. There is still much that is unknown about this virus. Unless we take adequate precautions, the death toll will increase and no one truly wants that to occur.

So, if restaurants reopen, we need to know they are as safe as possible. We have to carefully weigh the risks. We have to think about our community, and not be selfish in our attitudes. We have to base our decisions on science and facts, not emotions. We have to understand that our decisions will have real consequences, that will affect even those who don't dine out at restaurants. We should receive input from all relevant parties.

I've heard some people state that restaurants should reopen right now, and if people don't feel safe, they shouldn't dine out. That, by itself, is a selfish statement and the reasoning is flawed. If someone chooses to dine out, and gets infected with Covid-19, then they could potentially infect a number of people who never dined out. And just because you don't have any symptoms doesn't mean that you aren't infected, and could be a carrier, infecting others. You have to think about the entire community, and not just yourself and your own desires.

I certainly don't have the answers as to when and how restaurants should open, but I understand the questions that need to be addressed.