Research has found that most Americans plan to continue wearing masks, avoiding crowds and washing their hands often, even when the pandemic is over.
Americans are willing to maintain the behaviors implemented due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, even after the virus is under control.
According to a press release, a national survey of more than 2,000 respondents conducted by Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center found that 72% of Americans plan to continue wearing masks in public, 80% will still avoid crowds and 90% say yes continue washing and sanitizing your hands frequently.
“While the progress we are making toward recovery is exciting, it is critical not to take the precautions that we know have worked so far,” Iahn Gonsenhauser, MD, director of quality and patient safety at The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, says in communicated. “Masks and physical distance are still our best weapons to limit dissemination and, now that we have a vaccine, we will make these precautions even more effective and reduce new cases if we keep going.”
He said the results were promising considering the positive effect these health efforts had on this year’s flu season.
“Flu cases and hospitalizations are decreasing compared to the past few years. Much of this is likely because precautions such as masking, physical distance and hand hygiene are working to prevent the flu, ”says Gonsenhauser in the note. “I think a lot of people realize that what we learned from COVID-19 can be applied more generally to keep our population healthy.”