I'm going to guess you don't live in the US. The community's opinions were not considered when the governor decided what was essential and what wasn't. I was not asked my opinion of keeping Walmart and McDonald's open while closing the family businesses. There wasn't a vote on that. The governor decided on his own, with guidance from the CDC and the federal government. So no. The community did NOT "decide that Walmart and McDonalds were more valuable and important than the taco truck". If it was up to the community...everything would probably be open right now. Simply because people NEED TO WORK! We have thousands of people in my town out of work right now and they can't even get unemployment money from the state because the state government completely botched the process. Which is precisely why people here don't see this stay-at-home order lasting any longer than MAYBE the end of May. People can't afford to be out of work for much longer, and when their money runs out...they aren't going to care about this virus because they NEED to work so they can afford to keep their house and buy food. The state as a whole can't even afford to have most of it's workers out of work for too much longer. We were one of the first states to shut down...and we will probably be one of the first to reopen for business, regardless of the severity of the situation. Simply because this shut down...is NOT sustainable. For the people or the state as a whole. We will probably be one of the first states that will be forced to make the extremely risky decision to find a middle ground between risking illness...and getting people back to work.
I would love to know if anyone here was asked by the government about what they value as an essential business and therefore what should stay open and what should close. Because where I live...we weren't asked what we value and what we don't as an "essential business". Because I can tell you right now...the majority of the people in my state do NOT believe that liquor and weed stores are an "essential", and they have made that opinion abundantly clear to the governor. But they're open because the governor has some skin in the revenue game. If they close...he (personally) loses money. He even refuses to close hotels that are owned by him and his family, despite the fact that they aren't even being used right now. If it were up to us...liquor stores and weed stores would be closed, while some of the other things that ARE closed...would be open.