This is especially infuriating if you compare the numbers from Covid with a bad flu season in NY. Twice as bad as the flu is certainly cause to take special preventive measures but not reason enough to ruin your local economy.
You seem to be mixing up cause and effect. The reason COVID hasn't been so bad is because of all the special preventative measures. It's super contagious, still sends 10% of people to hospital, and is killing 1-2% of people. Sitting in the presence of strangers for hours in an enclosed space is a great way to transmit COVID, and this is why indoor dining must be closed.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/planning-scena...