Good idea. Bad timing.

During Tuesday’s board of aldermen meeting, Starkville mayor Lynn Spruill broke a 3-3 tie that will allow open containers of alcohol in much of downtown Starkville and the Cotton District.

With Ward 3 Alderman David Little not in attendance, the 3-3 split among the aldermen illustrates that this was not a move that enjoyed a consensus, for reasons that should be obvious.

While we understand the motivation behind the creation of a leisure and entertainment district – the city is facing a $125,000 sales tax shortfall and allowing consumption of alcohol would enhance the city’s planned outdoor “Streatery” at a Main Street location — the spectre of the coronavirus pandemic should cast an enormous shadow over this move. On Monday, 1,635 new cases and 31 deaths were reported in Mississippi, shattering the state’s single-day record.

The timing of a move that could encourage large outdoor gatherings where good judgment is likely to be compromised by conspicuous consumption of alcohol is at odds with the city’s previous efforts to protect public health through its policies.

In a few weeks, thousands of students will return to Mississippi State and the city, essentially doubling the population.

Already, there are grave concerns about student behavior when it comes to the known precautions that should be taken, including wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing.

Students, many of whom consider themselves low risk, need to be encouraged to observe these guidelines rather than flaunt them, which is something we feel is almost inevitable when students are allowed to congregate in large groups in a party-type atmosphere.

Good judgment is often a casualty to strong drink, after all, and asking the Starkville Police Department to ride herd on this behavior only further burdens law enforcement.

Under normal circumstances, we would have few objections to this kind of measure, which has been adopted in many cities.

But, as Monday’s COVID-19 data confirms, these are not normal times.

We strongly suggest the city take another cold, dare we say, sober look at this.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.