Only 20 percent of Americans say they'd 'immediately' resume their normal activities when coronavirus restrictions lift
Even after restrictions put in place during the coronavirus pandemic end, most Americans say they'd hold off on getting back to their usual activities, according to a new poll.
In a Gallup survey released on Tuesday, respondents were asked "how quickly do you think you would return to your normal activities, including interacting with people in public," after "government restrictions on social contact are lifted and businesses and schools start to reopen."
Twenty percent of those polled said they'd do so "immediately," but 71 percent said they'd "wait to see what happens with the coronavirus before resuming," and 10 percent said they'd keep limiting "contact with other people and daily activities indefinitely."
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Gallup says it did not find any differences based on respondents' income or based on whether they're employed. There was also "no clear pattern by age," Gallup said. Americans' feelings on this issue haven't changed much since late March, when Gallup asked the same question.
President Trump is forming a White House task force focused on reopening the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic, and on Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said he would soon release his plan for an "incremental release of the stay-at-home orders," while governors of numerous Northeast states announced they would coordinate their plans to reopen. Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that easing restrictions would have to happen on a "rolling" basis but that May 1 is a "bit overly optimistic" of a target for many parts of the country.
Gallup's poll was conducted by surveying a random sample of 3,881 U.S. adults online from April 3-5. The margin of error is 3 percentage points. Read the full results at Gallup.
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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