Bad news for anyone planning to have surgery in the coming weeks or months: the chances of it actually happening are slim to none. As the COVID-19 statistics become increasingly grim, more hospitals and healthcare systems are heeding the call of the Surgeon General as well as various local legislatures by postponing nonessential surgeries.

Obviously, cosmetic procedures, such as breast augmentations and rhinoplasty can wait. But when it comes to, say, reconstructing a breast after a mastectomy, things aren’t always as clear. What is nonessential surgery, particularly in the age of the coronavirus?