Three out of four Philadelphians believe that all residents should wear masks when they leave their homes, according to a survey conducted jointly by Penn and the city of Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney announced the results of the survey in a press conference on May 27, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The online survey was taken by 626 Philadelphia residents and asked various questions to gauge the perceptions of implemented precautions made to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Philadelphia County is currently under a stay-at-home order, but the restriction is expected to be lifted on June 5 when the county will move into the yellow phase of reopening, FOX 29 Philadelphia reported.
After two days of protesting, however, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf said the county may not move into the yellow phase as he had previously planned, the Inquirer reported.
Though the yellow phase includes less stringent restrictions on leaving homes, wearing facial coverings and practicing physical distancing measures will still be required.
In the survey, city residents were asked to respond with the extent to which they agreed with the health and safety precautions by selecting one of five options: strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree, or unsure.
Nearly 68% of respondents agreed it is important to stay home unless working at an essential job and 88% said that they were aware of the stay-at-home order in effect in Philadelphia.
Survey results also revealed disparities in responses according to respondents' race and gender identities. Black Philadelphians were more likely to support staying home and avoiding contact with others, with 86% reporting they agreed with the implemented precautions. 85% of women supported the idea that citizens should wear a mask every time they leave the house, compared to only 65% of men.
Kenney did not disclose statistics for respondents of other races at the press conference.
Although many residents answered that they agreed with the precautions themselves, only 42% said that their neighbors understand the importance of social distancing measures.
“If you are the one out of four who doesn’t get it, your neighbors know how important this is to keep their families and friends safe, and we need you to get with the program,” Kenney said at the news conference.
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