A plurality of voters say their area should start to roll back coronavirus restrictions when at least 75 percent of the local population is vaccinated, a new Hill-HarrisX poll finds.
Thirty-four percent of registered voters in the March 5-8 survey said restrictions should be lifted when at least 75 percent of the population in an area has been vaccinated.
Roughly a quarter of respondents, 24 percent, said restrictions should be rolled back right now, while 21 percent said the vaccinated population should reach at least 50 percent capacity first.
Another 7 percent said restrictions should be lifted when one in four people have been vaccinated, while 14 percent said restrictions should be kept in place “indefinitely.”
A plurality of Democrats and independents — 44 percent and 32 percent, respectively — said restrictions should be rolled back when at least 75 percent of the local population is vaccinated.
By comparison, a plurality of Republicans — 40 percent — said restrictions should be lifted “right now.”
Texas on Wednesday lifted its state-wide mask mandate and allowed businesses to reopen at full capacity, while other states including Connecticut, Maryland and New York have relaxed their COVID-19 restrictions while keeping orders such as those requiring mask use in place.
Health experts have warned against lifting certain restrictions too early, saying such a move risks more surges of the disease.
The most recent Hill-HarrisX survey was conducted online among 2,839 registered voters. It has a margin of error of 1.84 percentage points.
—Gabriela Schulte
hilltv copyright