PilotLZ
I'd surely agree that the distancing rules are haphazard and very unevenly applied, but think aviation stands out as a fairly uniform globally regulated service, hence unavoidably the poster child for whatever rules are eventually set. In that context, the adjacent or middle seat is probably toast.
As an aside, here in NYC, restaurants and bars are outdoor seating only and cabs already have separation barriers, so the curtailments are not aviation only.,