Monday, April 06, 2020

Return to Normal? Not So Fast

"If there were no government restrictions and people were able to decide for themselves about being out in public, how soon would you return to your normal day-to-day activities?"

When Gallup asked the public this question recently, only 14 percent said they would return to normal right now. Americans are traumatized by the coronavirus pandemic, and most would be hesitant to resume life as they once knew it. This suggests that economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic could be painfully slow.

If restrictions were lifted, 42 percent of Americans say they would wait until new cases declined significantly before resuming their normal activities. Another 38 percent say they would return to normal activities only after there were no new cases for a period of time. Seven percent say they would resume their normal activities only after a vaccine is developed.

Willingness to resume normal activities depends on how vulnerable people believe they are to the virus. Those who believe it is very likely that they would suffer severe symptoms are most hesitant to return to normal. Only 9 percent would resume their normal activities immediately, and 58 percent would wait until there are no new cases. Among those who believe it is very unlikely they would experience severe symptoms, fully 44 percent would resume their normal activities right now and just 17 percent would wait until there are no new cases.

Source: Gallup, Americans Hesitant to Return to Normal in Short Term

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