As the pandemic subsides, Chicagoans are getting back to a lot of things that were off-limits for more than a year — big family get-togethers, dining indoors at restaurants, cheering at ballgames and the like. But one thing that was sacrificed to combat the contagion may not return. It used to be that stores could sell liquor, wine and beer until 2 a.m. from Sunday through Friday and until 3 a.m. Saturday. But in April 2020, Mayor Lori Lightfoot banned alcohol sales after 9 p.m. in an effort to discourage groups from congregating outside liquor and convenience stores where they might spread the virus. Later, she moved the curfew to 11 p.m. But now she has proposed to impose a permanent curfew of 10 p.m. Her rationale is not preventing disease but addressing "quality of life issues that sometimes creep up around these businesses," as she put it, including loitering and "other illegal activity." After a chorus of criticism, the mayor retreated a bit. "The hours that are in this package — that is an introduction," Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Commissioner Rosa Escareno told the Sun-Times, "This is a starting point." Lightfoot said she is willing to "work with" retailers and possibly "reach an accommodation." Clearly this is an idea that needs a reassessment. These stores have doubtless lost sales to restaurants and bars, which last year were granted the option of selling drinks for takeout. On Saturday during a flurry of activity in the General Assembly, the House and Senate approved the continuation of carryout cocktails with some restrictions. No, you can't grab a six-pack and crack open a cold one on the way to your car, but your favorite restaurants can sell you alcohol in a sealed, tamper-proof container. You then put it in your truck, not shotgun. As for Chicago, the 2 a.m. cutoff on alcohol sales was a long-standing policy that the mayor and City Council didn't see as a major problem before the pandemic, though specific aldermen have long complained about loitering and other problems at liquor stores in general. So the burden of proof for an earlier curfew is on the proponents to justify and to explain why they should cost stores more money — and deprive the city of the sales tax revenue. It would inconvenience Chicago's large population of party animals and night owls. As Pat Doerr, managing director of the Hospitality Business Association of Chicago pointed out, Chicago has always been known as a toddling town.