Tabling the plans

There’s a lot we don’t know about the coronavirus, but the science is clear on this: Masks prevent people from catching and spreading the bug. Until there’s a vaccine, everyone should don one when near anyone they don’t live with, especially indoors. Masks have been mandatory in New York since April 17, helping cut the infection rate to the nation’s lowest.

For now, masks should be mandatory outside the home; leaders should lead by covering up, from President Trump on down. Coronavirus task force chair and VP Mike Pence now admits as much, albeit after visiting a church where more than 100 members of a choir sang uncovered. (Forgive us our trespasses.) In a Senate speech Monday, Mitch McConnell urged no “stigma” for mask-wearing.

But there’s one place masks can’t work: at eating establishments. Exposing mouths for forkfuls also means exposing them for talking and laughing.

We love New York City’s restaurants and bars, the world’s best. Takeout and delivery never stopped during the virus, and by all indications, well-separated outdoor sidewalk and street tables are safe. But indoor dining at 50% occupancy coming with next Monday’s move into Phase 3 should wait. Research links restaurant openings to COVID spread; a Chinese study suggests an eatery’s indoor air circulation aided transmission.

As states like Texas, Florida and Arizona slam the brakes on reopening, New Jersey is putting indoor dining on hold. So must we.

Great meals can be to die for, but nobody ever meant it in quite this way.