You may have noticed that gas stations in New Jersey are closing down some of their pumps or restricting hours. The reason is that their employees are terrified they may catch the virus, and many of them are not showing up.

“Employees are coming up to owners in groups of four or five and saying they’re not working,” says Sal Risalvato of the New Jersey Gasoline, Convenience Store and Automotive Association.

The solution offered by gas station owners is to suspend the rule banning self-service pumps, which they present as a public health measure.

Don’t believe it, folks. What’s really happening is that the gas station owners are taking advantage of this moment to push a cause they have championed for years, to sneak it in now under the cover of coronavirus.

And if they win, New Jersey will lose something special: its distinction as the only state that allows you to sit in your car and listen to music while you gas up, without guilt, knowing that the rules forbid you from getting off your duff.

Let’s start, though, with the virus. Gas station owners argue that self-service pumps will help contain the spread by reducing contact between attendants and customers.

Start with the attendants. Masks and sanitizers could reduce their risk, but how would allowing self-service in the next lane help?

It seems unlikely to help customers, either, as they take turns using a single pump. The owners have presented no evidence to support that claim, and can point to no expert testimony. They say they would provide hand sanitizer at each pump, along with wipes to clean the nozzles and digital keypads, but whether customers would consistently use them effectively is anyone’s guess.

Sorry, but none of this offers good reason for Gov. Phil Murphy to change course during this crisis.

In fact, I hope the policy never changes. It’s a quirky Jersey thing, I admit, and it’s irrational economics.

Gas prices would almost surely drop if owners were allowed to reduce their labor costs, given that it is a competitive market. And lifting the ban doesn’t mean you HAVE to pump your gas. It just means you can.

Still, Risalvato runs into irrational people like me every time he pushes this policy. He’s a personable fellow, and he makes a logical case every year, pushing his boulder up the hill only to watch it roll down again, caught like Sisyphus in a hopeless ritual.

“It’s the culture, 100 percent the culture,” he said, exasperated. “People have a visceral reaction. They say, ‘I don’t want to pump my own gas.’ But what I don’t understand is this: They don’t have to. They have the choice.”

I tried to explain. When I buy gas in New York, I choose self-service because I can’t justify spending an extra buck or two just to sit on my duff. When I buy in New Jersey, I get to sit on my duff, guilt-free.

“So, you’re denying someone else the opportunity to do exactly what you know you should do?” Risalvato asked me.

Um, yeah. It is a bit nuts, but I’m sticking with it. Living in New Jersey can be a challenge, but it’s easier to get gas here, and cheaper too. How about we leave that be?

More: Tom Moran columns

Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.