As the number of new coronavirus cases in the United States hits 50,000 a day, a few states in the south, particularly those that opened up their businesses too early and too recklessly, have had to close down again.

Bars and gyms were required to close again in Florida and Texas. Arizona shut down bars, gyms, movie theaters, and water parks. It's astonishing, really, to think that water parks, a purely recreational endeavor, were even allowed to open in the first place, as if bars weren't enough of a step too far.

Gyms, too, are pretty dangerous for coronavirus, as those who work out are breathing hard, which expels a large number of droplets that could contain the virus, and sweating while on benches that may not be properly sterilized after each use. 

And if some Americans are having a hard time wearing masks in the local grocery store, don't expect everyone to wear a mask while on the treadmill.

Just like those who refuse to wear masks, there are also business owners who refuse to close in the interests of public safety. Arizona newspapers report a number of gyms that said they would not close. 

Aaron Robertson, CEO of a "boot camp," was quoted as saying he doesn't think his "boutique" establishment is a traditional gym, because he does classes for only 15 affluent clients at a time. But that's 15 strangers in close proximity all huffing and puffing at the same time.

In Texas, members of the public who can't resist drinking in public joined in supporting bar owners and held a "Bar Lives Matter" protest.

The Six Springs Tavern in Richardson, Texas is even hosting music concerts! A post on the tavern's Facebook page declared: "We are not a random bar, we are a music venue and a private club on top. We will not just roll over and shut down at noon today. … we are all grown-ass humans and do not need government hand-holding to make decisions for us."

The adoption of the language of the Black Lives Matter movement against police brutality to support the "lives" of brick and mortal drinking establishments is eyebrow-raising to say the very least. There are people getting shot in the back, having police officers press their weight into their neck for eight minutes until they die, and marchers getting hit with tear gas to protest the injustices, and here is a white woman without a face mask who thinks her right to drink a beer is just as important.

I don't want to dwell on the racial overtones too long. People are entitled to their views, and BLM is not a sacred cause beyond criticism, either. Indeed, coronavirus might well be spreading at those protests.

Businesses and individuals convicted of misdemeanors for staying open are being fined – $2,500 in Arizona and $1,000 in Texas. And the state alcohol commission has suspended licenses for 30 days of nine bars.

However, it seems a more sterile administrative approach is taken to business owners who are putting tens or hundreds of lives at risk compared to how the full force of the officer of the law sometimes comes down on black men accused of a $20 crime.

How would anti-mask people who go on a rampage at a Whole Foods grocery store be treated if they were black men who ran from an officer stopping them on the street on mere suspicions?

Even if some of those businesses are getting fined, why should the government and the police have allowed them to illegally open their doors in the first place? There should be cop cars heading for the establishments that blatantly announce their intention to violate the law and squads patrolling the streets to make sure no other businesses are in violation. 

Police are not so much as requesting people to put their masks on when they are hanging below their chins on pedestrian streets, let alone issuing citations, arresting people, and then throwing them into the ground when they resist arrest.

Think about it. What kills more people and deprives the government of more revenue: the loose cigarettes Eric Gardner was selling in New York City before an officer put him in a chokehold, leading to his death, when he resisted arrest; or the virus that has already killed 130,000 Americans and cost the economy $1 trillion?

For owners of such businesses that must close, along with their employees, it is a tragedy. Forty million Americans are out of work, and more still will lose their jobs or be unable to return to work as businesses have to close for a second time. But the shutdowns will keep continuing if the virus isn't beat.

It is the government's job to address the economic consequences and make sure these businesses have the resources to stay open in the meantime. The government, at both the federal and state levels, so far have not done a good job. 

They should pay part of the salaries of waiters who are kept on when the bars open at the end of the crisis, for example. In the long run, it's cheaper than having the rubble of permanently closed businesses lining the economy for years, with no place for the long-term unemployed to find a job.

Mitchell Blatt is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/MitchellBlatt.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn.

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