In the ever-changing landscape of the pandemic, one constant theme is government overreach. Since the early failure to control the outbreak, government executives have overcompensated by taking a risk-averse, iron fist approach, rather than looking for ways to mitigate or temper regulations to minimize the economic hardship that also kills.

In March, governors and mayors invoked emergency powers to issue stay-at-home orders and mandate business closures, and many of those blunderbuss orders are returning.