I live in an urban environment and I'm easily able to walk a distance away from others, and they do the same. If the sidewalks were more typically crowded I would change that calculus. The side walks are either wide enough or on side streets you don't have many people walking, and few cars, so you can step into the street easily enough.
We briefly waited in line to get into Whole Foods today before I said I don't really need anything and we left. They were limiting shoppers to 60. I was thinking of getting a nice steak.