U.S. public ‘firmly opposed’ to reopening the economy immediately
This is part of our Coronavirus Update series in which Harvard specialists in epidemiology, infectious disease, economics, politics, and other disciplines offer insights into what the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak may bring. A majority of people in the U.S. want to continue physical distancing measures, even as the federal government and some state governors are pushing to reopen the economy, according to a new national survey led by researchers from Harvard Kennedy School, Northeastern University, and Rutgers University. The survey, published Thursday, also reveals that more people trust scientists and scientific institutions to handle the COVID-19 pandemic than trust federal authorities or news media; and, as state governors take the lead on managing the crisis, they have become more popular among their constituents than President Donald Trump, who has handed much of the individual management over to the states. The researchers surveyed almost 23,000 individuals across all 50 states and the...