The BDN Editorial Board operates independently from the newsroom, and does not set policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com. One of the biggest challenges for government officials during the coronavirus pandemic has been how best to balance the science-guided need for safety measures to minimize the spread of the illness against the economic consequences of restricting business activity. Requiring some businesses to close and restricting activities has been a prudent response to a virus that is spread through the air when people are in close contact.