Reopen the Golden State? Most Californians say they aren’t ready to lift COVID-19 restrictions

Most Californians remain worried about the coronavirus pandemic and say they are not ready to see the state fully reopened from the restrictions Gov. Gavin Newsom handed down to slow the outbreak, according to a new survey from the Public Policy Institute of California.

The state gradually has been reopening services and businesses since Newsom’s March 19 stay-at-home order. With modifications, restaurants and retail stores are opening statewide.

But the PPIC study shows that coronavirus is still a very real fear for many Californians, especially among racial minorities and lower-income households.

“Californians’ perceptions and experiences with the COVID-19 crisis demonstrate the deep fault lines based on income and race and ethnicity in California today,” said PPIC President and CEO Mark Baldassare in a statement.

The survey found that 58 percent of Californians are either very or somewhat concerned about getting COVID-19 and needing hospitalization.

That includes 63 percent of African Americans, 64 percent of Asian Americans, 68 percent of Latinos and 48 percent of whites.

Broken down by household income, 65 percent of those making less than $40,000 are very or somewhat concerned about being hospitalized by the coronavirus, compared to 51 percent of those making $40,000 to $80,000, and 56 percent of those making more than $80,000.

There have been 117,687 cases of coronavirus in California, with 3,090 hospitalizations and 4,361 deaths, according to the California Department of Public Health.

The state has found that Latino, African American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders “are dying at disproportionately higher levels.”

Californians are largely split on the topic of whether the worst is yet to come (48 percent) or whether the worst of COVID-19 is behind us (46 percent), with 6 percent saying that they don’t know.

Among racial and ethnic groups, 69 percent of African Americans say the worst is yet to come, as do 53 percent of Asian Americans and Latinos and 41 percent of whites.

“Many Californians fear the worst is yet to come in the COVID-19 crisis and favor caution when it comes to their localities and states lifting the current restrictions on public activity,” Baldassare said.

Few Californians want the level of restrictions on public activity to change, according to the survey.

Just 28 percent want fewer restrictions, while 46 percent of those surveyed said they want the existing level of restrictions on public activity.

The coronavirus has taken a heavy toll on many Californians.

More than a third of those surveyed, 35 percent, said that they had been laid off or lost their job. More than half, 51 percent, had experienced a cut in pay or work hours, while 27 percent said that they had difficulty paying either the rent or mortgage.

The numbers were most pronounced for those making less than $40,000 a year. Nearly half, 47 percent, have lost a job, while 63 percent have had pay or hours cut and 42 percent struggle with rent or the mortgage.

Among racial groups, Latinos were most severely impacted, with 49 percent experiencing job loss, 66 percent having work or pay get cut and 44 percent struggling with rent or mortgage.

The PPIC surveyed 1,706 adult Californians for this report, including 1,278 by cellphone and 428 by landline telephone.

This story was originally published June 3, 2020 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Reopen the Golden State? Most Californians say they aren’t ready to lift COVID-19 restrictions."