Close bars, eateries

The president suggested Monday that there should be no gatherings of more than 10 individuals. He further suggested that bars and restaurants, among other establishments, should close for a time.

Governors in other states, for example, New York, California, and Maryland, have ordered all bars and restaurants to close. Governor Hutchinson should do the same with statewide application.

Arkansas has a large population of elderly and compromised individuals. Because there is no way yet to determine who may be ill but asymptomatic and unknowingly spreading the covid-19 virus, every precaution to protect Arkansans should be taken.

Food and beverage establishments work on narrow margins, and they are places where more than 10 people gather at a time. We Arkansans can help those establishments by purchasing gift certificates to use later. Each business could quickly develop a way to implement selling the certificates. This will help those entities stay afloat. There would be some risk, of course, as there may not be enough certificate buyers to cover the overhead by some of the businesses.

And, by closing temporarily, staff could be eligible for unemployment to help cover lost income that is likely already reduced due to fewer customers.

Arkansas was one of the last states to experience patients with positive tests, mostly because testing was delayed. To help make up for that delay, the governor should immediately order that bars and restaurants close for two weeks, perhaps longer.

Arkansans need to stay at home, practice CDC-recommended social distancing and personal hygiene, and continue to support their favorite businesses in alternative ways. The life you save may be your own or that of a loved one.

N.C. SHERMAN Hot Springs Village