Is it selfish to go to restaurants and movie theaters if they reopen in my state, where I could spread the coronavirus? Or is it selfish NOT to go and not to support my local economy?
My state is reopening certain businesses, including restaurants and movie theaters. I am torn between supporting our town and our nation’s economy, and ensuring that I don’t contribute to an increase in coronavirus infections. Am I selfish if I go, or am I selfish if I stay home?Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said that the Lone Star State’s stay-at-home order would expire on Thursday and, on Friday, museums, libraries, cinemas, retail stores, restaurants and malls would all reopen.
Dispatches from a pandemic:Letter from New York: ‘New Yorkers wear colorful homemade masks, while nurses wear garbage bags. When I hear an ambulance, I wonder if there’s a coronavirus patient inside. Are there more 911 calls, or do I notice every distant siren?’ Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming have also said they would start opening certain non-essential businesses. California has not reopened non-essential businesses, but Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, admonished people who took advantage of good weather to crowd beaches.
What has all this got to do with your predicament? It speaks to one of my own rules of thumb — not just for pandemics, but for life. A few years ago, I was at a friend’s bachelor’s party in Barcelona, Spain. As we were stepping onto a boat to go white-water rafting, I somewhat glibly asked the instructor, “Where’s the motor?” He replied, “You are de motor!” I have never forgotten that.
And, yes, what if that barbershop needs business to stay afloat? How do you balance economic survival with the survival of friends, neighbors and, as importantly, people you have never met? There is no one-size-fits-all answer, I’m afraid. It may be safer to go to a movie theater operating at 25% capacity than a salon or restaurant where social distancing with staff is not possible.
A member of the Moneyist Facebook Group had this suggestion: “If you want to support businesses that may not be safe right now, purchase gift certificates for future use. It might be taking a financial chance that they will still be around, but safer than the health chance of physically going there.” If infections start rising and more people die, those businesses may lose more in the long term.
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