Americans Hesitant to Return to Normal

As many countries remain on lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19, which killed more than 120,000 people around the world as of April 14, politicians are working closely with scientists and economic advisors to find a safe way to gradually return to normal life. Despite the fact that his country is among those hit hardest by the outbreak, U.S. President Trump is particularly keen to lift some of the measures currently in place. “We’re very close to completing a plan to open our country, hopefully even ahead of schedule,” Trump said in his daily press briefing on Monday, adding that his administration’s plan and corresponding guidelines would give Americans the confidence they need to begin returning to normal life.

While Trump hopes that the coronavirus will quickly be forgotten and that economic recovery will be swift once the country opens up again, Americans are still cautions about getting back to normal. According to polling data published by Gallup on Tuesday, only 20 percent of U.S. adults are ready to return to normal activities immediately, while 71 percent are planning to wait to see what happens with the coronavirus before going back to business-as-usual. Interestingly, Republicans are less hesitant of returning to their normal lives, with 31 percent ready to do so immediately versus 11 percent of Democrats. Even among Republicans, however, the vast majority would rather wait to see how the outbreak develops before lifting social distancing measures and returning to normalcy.