- As countries, states and cities issue lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, only "essential" businesses are staying open.
- Businesses that fall under the "non-essential" category are mostly recreational, such as theaters, museums, and gyms, Business Insider's Irene Jiang explains.
- While essential businesses typically include grocery stores, banks, and healthcare operations across the board, the question of what is essential leaves room for interpretation and reveals a region's cultural values.
- From golf courses in Arizona to bakeries in France, here's how regions around the world differ in their interpretation of what businesses are essential during the coronavirus outbreak.
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