Strong Support Found for Protective Practices Related to COVID-19

WEDNESDAY, June 17, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Most adults in New York City, Los Angeles, and the United States support stay-at-home orders and nonessential business closures during the COVID-19 pandemic and report always or often wearing face coverings in public areas, according to research published in the June 12 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Mark É. Czeisler, from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues examined public attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs related to guidance on personal protective practices and COVID-19 by surveying adults 18 years and older in New York City, Los Angeles, and across the United States during May 5 to 12, 2020.

The researchers found that most respondents supported stay-at-home orders and nonessential business closures (79.5, 86.7, and 81.5 percent in the United States, New York City, and Los Angeles, respectively), reported always or often wearing cloth face coverings in public areas (74.1, 89.6, and 89.8 percent, respectively), and believed that their state’s restrictions struck the right balance or were not restrictive enough (84.3, 89.7, and 79.7 percent, respectively).

“Strong public support for these behaviors suggests an opportunity to normalize safe practices and promote continued use of these and other recommended personal protective behaviors to minimize further spread of COVID-19 as jurisdictions reopen,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

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