While it has been a while since life felt normal, Americans aren’t exactly aching to go back to pre-coronavirus times just yet.

While protests around the country demand for an end to social distancing, the numbers put those people squarely in the minority. A survey from The Washington Post and University of Maryland released Tuesday morning showed overwhelming opposition to the reopening of several close-contact establishments.

More than 80 percent of respondents did not want to see movie theaters welcome customers back quite yet, while nearly 70 percent are resisting the opening of salons and barbershops. Also included in the questionnaire was dine-in restaurants, which 74 percent of respondents oppose opening at this time.

In Rhode Island, Gov. Gina Raimondo is planning for a gradual phase-in of restaurants — beginning in Phase 1 with outdoor seating, though she cautioned that wouldn't be immediate even if the stay-at-home order is lifted on May 8.

If that goes according to plan, the town of Johnston is looking to immediately ease the burden on some restaurants, and other municipalities should follow suit. Town Council Vice President Joseph Polisena Jr. told Beacon Communications on Monday he aims to introduce an ordinance next week that would grant temporary outdoor dining permits to all restaurants across town “in good standing.”

When reached for comment on Tuesday, Mayor Joseph Polisena approved of the concept, but added an off-hand remark that his son had been receiving requests for copies of the ordinances from a few other towns looking to implement something similar.

“Hopefully it’ll help give these restaurants some breathing room until we go back to some sense of normalcy or some new normalcy, where they can finally open up and obviously continue the tradition of having great restaurants in our town,” Polisena said. “Even the small mom-and-pops, the small diners, the breakfast nooks, we don't want to lose anybody.”

Other towns and cities across the state would be smart to consider something similar as restaurants struggle amid the shutdown. An April 20 article in Fortune Magazine by Emma Hinchliffe labeled the restaurant industry as “arguably the hardest hit so far” from the pandemic. The story also notes that restaurants account for about 4 percent of the country’s GDP — about $1 trillion — and more than 60 percent of the jobs lost in March.

Despite a need for eateries to get back to offering dine-in service in order to survive, the pandemic has fostered an abundance of anxiety for a large portion of the population. Even mundane activities like going to the supermarket or filling up one’s gas tank have evolved into full masks-on, gloves-on affairs. Those are places, too, where keeping distance is relatively easy.

Restaurants, though, are a different story. Raimondo made clear on Monday that dine-in options will still not be offered as part of Phase 1, but outdoor seating could provide some relief. Allowing for businesses to bypass virtual meetings with respective Councils, having to rush to sign up to appear somewhere early in the proceedings and competing for licenses ahead of one another, a smart approach like Johnston’s can pay dividends immediately.

Even with social distancing protocols in place and tables potentially set up six feet apart in parking lots, some diners may still not be ready to return to their favorite establishments. However, giving restaurants expanded options in a time where very few are available to them could help them along enough until life returns to some sense of normalcy.

It’s clear, referring back to the Washington Post/Maryland survey that most people are not ready to flip a switch and restore life back to the way it was. A gradual phase-in — with help like that which the town of Johnston aims to provide — could help people get there over time.