An exclusive KING 5 News poll suggests Washingtonians are faithfully following public health guidelines amid coronavirus, and many feel their lives have changed significantly since the pandemic began.
Half of respondents said everyday life has changed noticeably, and a quarter say their lives have been turned upside down. About 23% said their lives were impacted only slightly.
On Thursday, Gov. Jay Inslee extended Washington’s stay-at-home order to May 4 to prevent the spread of the virus.
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In the first week of Inslee’s order, 63% of respondents said they completely followed the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” mandate, and 32% said they followed it somewhat. Just 3% of respondents said they didn't follow it at all.
When people did venture outside, which is allowed for essential activities like grocery shopping and exercise, 73% of people said they completely followed social distancing guidelines of staying 6 feet away from others. Another 21% said they somewhat followed those public health-recommended standards.
If Washingtonians keep up compliance with social distancing, public health officials hope it will help curb coronavirus-related deaths. Epidemiologists at the University of Washington modeled that there may be over 1,000 deaths in Washington state with the current efforts and more than that if the stay at home efforts end, according to Inslee.
As of Wednesday evening, there were 262 deaths among 6,585 coronavirus cases. More than 72,800 people have tested negative, according to the Washington State Department of Health.
The poll, which was conducted by SurveyUSA, polled 600 adults across Washington state between March 27-30.