A majority of Americans don’t believe businesses that were shuttered due to the coronavirus pandemic should be allowed to reopen yet, according to a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll released Tuesday.
Nearly 7 in 10 Americans surveyed said they believe that they’re either in the middle of or have yet to see the worst of the outbreak. A majority of people -- 63% of respondents -- also said they feared contracting and becoming seriously ill from COVID-19.
The poll results come as several states begin phased returns to normal public life. Health officials have warned that some areas are moving too quickly to reopen businesses as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise nationwide.
In the survey released Tuesday, nearly 8 in 10 people said they were still uncomfortable at the thought of dining out at a restaurant and nearly 7 in 10 said the same about visiting clothing stores.
Most people also said businesses, from gun stores and gyms to movie theaters and nail salons, should not yet be allowed to reopen. Of the eight categories of businesses pollsters asked about, people were most comfortable with the idea of reopening golf courses, though about 6 in 10 Americans still opposed the idea.
For the survey, pollsters called a random sample of 1,005 Americans between April 28 and Sunday. A majority of those surveyed, 70%, were reached by cellphone while the rest of the respondents were reached by landline.
More than 1 million people have been diagnosed with coronavirus infections in the U.S. The virus has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people nationwide and more than 250,000 lives worldwide, according to numbers compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
