Knowledge and behaviors toward COVID-19 among U.S. residents during the early days of the pandemic

John M. Clements

In this sample nearly 30% of people reported attending gatherings or going to places with more than 50 people in the previous five days, contrary to advice from the CDC since March 12, 2020 (survey conducted on March 17, 2020). In China, only 3.6% of people reported going to crowded places in the previous two weeks 14 . It is possible that the coordinated effort from, as well as the unchecked authority by, the Chinese government, to lockdown provinces provided most of the motivation for Chinese citizens to obey these mandates. To date, there has not been a coordinated effort by the U.S. government to lockdown the nation. There is some debate whether the federal government even the Constitutional authority and so individual states are left to make decisions about "shelter at home" policies and similar efforts. As of this writing, California, Illinois, New York, Washington, Michigan, Massachusetts, Indiana, Oregon, and West Virginia have issued stay-at-home orders. With about 1 in 3 U.S. citizens ordered to stay home it is likely in the coming weeks that fewer people will report attending large gatherings.