While the order temporarily closing Anchorage bars and restaurant to dine-in service is—as Mayor Berkowitz acknowledged when announcing it — a terrible economic hardship for business owners, the arguments for defying the mandate have been little more than baseless banalities.
“We’re just trying to make a living,” and “No one can interfere with a person’s right to operate a business” are, respectively, irrelevant and false statements. Every bar and restaurant in the municipality is required to have a business permit and is subject to inspections and certification for food, hygiene and fire safety. All permits and certificates can be revoked if a business fails to protect its customers. Like driving a car, operating a business is a privilege, not an inalienable right.
If a business were told that a deadly bomb might be present in its building, would anyone seriously believe the owner had a right to open for business as usual? In the midst of a pandemic that has already killed more than 150,000 people in the United States, an establishment such as Kriner’s Diner must accept that each person walking through the door is a potential virus bomb. Is that fair? No. It’s simply a fact.
Any business that ignores the closure mandate is selfishly endangering public safety and undermining the economic sacrifices being made by those who responsibly comply in the public interest. That should be grounds for revocation of all relevant licenses and permits.
Tim Woody
Anchorage
Have something on your mind? Send to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Letters under 200 words have the best chance of being published. Writers should disclose any personal or professional connections with the subjects of their letters. Letters are edited for accuracy, clarity and length.