This is a common misunderstanding encouraged by certain politicians but it’s misattributing the cause: the pandemic is causing the economic damage. Most of the businesses worst affected are ones like restaurants and bars, which were going to collapse as soon as their customers realized that patronizing them is inherently risky. For example, Sweden famously didn’t have lockdowns but still saw a major economic decline - perhaps a little better than some other countries in Europe but still ruinous without government bailouts. Even if it’s legal most people will change their buying habits.

The other mistake is assuming that this is endless. Countries which have strict safety measures are able to reopen after having controlled spread - Australia had a hard lockdown and has now gone without any cases for a while. In contrast, the United States’ leaders chose to squander the sacrifice of the spring lockdown by not making it effective and then relaxing restrictions before the viral spread was controlled, ensuring the maximal cost for minimal benefit.