Around me, it doesn't appear to be as much about virus risk as about budgets. Schools subsidize their art and music programs, have dedicated teachers for those subjects, and bear most of the costs for equipment and supplies. Pay-for-play fees and gate receipts cover almost all of the expenses of the athletic program, so aside from swimming (because the school does bear most of the costs of pool upkeep), those programs are self-supporting and therefore safe for the time being.
I couldn't agree with this more. I don't know that I'd have made it through school without band and drama - those were the places where I made friends and didn't get teased about being the nerdy girl with her nose in a book, and the friends from my school years that I am still in touch with at 40yo are all people I met in those activities. But our public schools are facing an existential financial crisis right now so I fear a lot of things that are undoubtedly positive and even essential to many students are going to end up on the chopping block because of the costs.
My youngest has been in private school since pre-K and the plan was to send her to public school for her high school years, largely because of a strong interest in theatre and a love of performing. Our local private high school is so small that they don't even have a program, though her current K-8 does, so we felt like public would be a better fit. But right now, there's a very good chance that our district's award-winning drama program won't exist by the time she gets there (she's a rising 7th grader).