Most in US now don’t support closing restaurants and bars during pandemic, poll says
A majority of Americans disapprove of how President Donald Trump handled the coronavirus pandemic and don’t think he took it seriously enough, according to a new poll.
There is also reduced support for shutting down bars and restaurants as caseloads climb in the U.S. While a July poll found 54% of respondents favored closing down businesses and 53% supported lockdown orders, the most recent Oct. poll found only 41% supported closing down restaurants and bars and 44% favor staying at home except for essential errands.
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll of 1,121 adults released Wednesday found 65% of Americans think he didn’t take the pandemic seriously enough while 32% said his response was “appropriate.” Only 2% said he overreacted.
Sixty-six percent of respondents said they disapprove of Trump’s handling of the pandemic.
The responses were partisan: Most Republicans said his handling of the virus was appropriate while Democrats and independents said he didn’t take it seriously enough. The poll was conducted Oct. 8-12 with a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.
Virus showing a surge
There were at least 59,751 new cases and COVID-19 deaths the week of Oct. 14 and over the last week, an average of 53,124 new cases per day, which is a 23% increase from the average two weeks earlier, according to The New York Times.
A Reuters analysis also found an October surge in cases, with the number of new cases rising 11% in the last week compared to the past seven days. The virus is spreading quickly in the Midwest and 29 out of 50 states have seen rising cases for two weeks in a row or more, Reuters reported.
Closures return
After many businesses shut down in March during lockdown orders, the majority of states have reopened in some capacity amid a struggling economy. Some states, including New York, California, Texas, Colorado and Illinois, have closed restaurants and non-essential businesses in areas with rising caseloads, The New York Times reported.
There are more than 7.9 million confirmed coronavirus cases, and more than 216,000 people have died from the virus in the U.S. as of Oct. 15, according to Johns Hopkins University.
This story was originally published October 15, 2020 at 2:22 PM with the headline "Most in US now don’t support closing restaurants and bars during pandemic, poll says."