Our Say: Annapolis is a restaurant town. What if that changes?

Way back in 2017, state Sen. John Astle was running for mayor.

One of his campaign pitches was that he was the man who could turn Annapolis into a gastropub destination.

It was a good idea, except that Annapolis had long ago achieved status as a foodie town. The eventual winner of that election and the current mayor, Gavin Buckley, is a serial restaurateur who embodies how Annapolis is synonymous with its scores of dining establishments.

And now, that is in danger. Federal action won’t be enough. It’s up to both state and local governments to take measures making it possible for restaurants that can survive to get all the chances they need to succeed.

Like all restaurants in Maryland, those in and around Annapolis are closed because of the coronavirus pandemic and efforts put in place in March to slow the spread of the fatal respiratory disease the virus causes. Many are making do with carryout service and other creative measures — Vida Taco started selling groceries in the early days of this crisis.

By mid-April, the National Restaurant Association estimated 30,000 restaurants were closed for good across the United States. That number was projected to grow to more than 110,000 by the end of April.

In Maryland, the restaurant business is big business. There were more than 11,000 bars and restaurants before the start of this crisis, according to the association. Those businesses employed more than 259,000 people.

Gov. Larry Hogan has laid out broad plans for reopening restaurants across the state in a way that will balance the safety and security of employees and customers with economic survival. County health officers are likely to fill in the blanks in the weeks ahead.

We can expect the coronavirus to be a factor for at least two years, by most estimates. Social distancing rules will mean fewer available tables, and probably fewer jobs, at restaurants.

Given the bone-headed intransigence of those who say things like the coronavirus is no worse than the flu, there is likely to be some squeamishness on the part of many customers and employees expected to breathe in this new environment.

Public health officials have to get it right when they unveil plans for restaurant reopening.

It’s not just the jobs and private enterprise that are at risk.

Restaurants are important to the culture of a city as well. They make places like Annapolis a destination just as much as the access to the Chesapeake Bay does, or its history or its wealth of cultural and performance arts.

People take pride in their neighborhood restaurants. People come to Annapolis for the food just as much as the sights.

The recent death of Maria Priola, founder of an Annapolis restaurant family, brings to a close one phase of Annapolis history. She opened her Italian restaurant just as the city was catching on as both a good place to visit and a fine place to resettle.

Her family continues some of that legacy today, and other local restaurant owners — Buckley among them — make up an important part of what it means to live in Annapolis.

What Buckley as mayor and Steuart Pittman as county executive and Larry Hogan as Annapolis resident and governor have to figure out, is a way to ensure the next chapter isn’t a story of how the restaurant culture falls apart.