About those gift cards people bought when everything closed

Just putting out a feeler here, since I know we have some industry professionals on the board. I have a cache of gift cards to various establishments, some of which I received prior to COVID, and some of which I purchased to support local businesses. I understand that restaurants need revenue right now, and therefore it's not good for them to be flooded with people paying with gift cards.

Is it proper etiquette to ask the server or bartender whether they are currently accepting gift cards for payment? At restaurants I frequent, what's an appropriate interval for using them--once a month, once a week, etc.?

While I imagine that any reputable restaurant would honor their gift cards I honestly think this isn't the time to start redeeming them.
Most restaurants are struggling to stay afloat without the added expense of money and product in the form of gift cards walking out the door.
I would wait until restaurants can seat at 100% capacity to start using your cards- and even then use them sparingly for a while- especially in independent restaurants which don't have the padding of corporate ownership.

Thanks for the perspective, I will hold off on attempting to use them for a while. Even when restaurants are allowed to reopen at 100% capacity, I feel like a lot of people will still not be dining out.