HealthDay Reports: States Begin to Reopen During COVID Crisis, but Not Everyone Feels Ready
Image: John Imbur
Even as states start to reopen again, many people are still wary of going into restaurants, shops and other businesses.
States Begin to Reopen During COVID Crisis, but Not Everyone Feels Ready
THURSDAY, May 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Virginia resident John Imbur doesn't plan to sit down for a meal in a diner anytime soon, even if his state reopens for business after its stay-at-home order lifts on June 10.
"I don't feel comfortable going into places where there are going to be a group of people, particularly if they're unmasked," said Imbur, 50, a tech support worker in Blacksburg. "With a restaurant, no one's going to have their mask on because they're eating."
States plunging ahead with plans to reopen economies shut down over COVID-19 are encountering opposition from an unexpected quarter -- their own citizens.
Surveys show that a majority of people remain uncomfortable about entering stores, restaurants and other businesses that closed in an attempt to slow the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
That's because people are walking risk calculators, constantly weighing the information on hand to judge their personal safety in a variety of situations, said Susan Joslyn, an associate professor of psychology with the University of Washington who researches risk perception and decision-making.