Results of a city survey claim that more than three quarters of residents know to wear a mask every time they leave home, and to stay home as much as possible, Mayor Jim Kenney said in his press conference Wednesday afternoon.
“Thank god there’s so many smart people out there,” Kenney said when discussing the results. The online survey of 626 adult Philadelphia residents had a 6.5% margin of error.
“The vast majority of Philadelphians do get it," Kenney added. "They understand the need to follow guidelines for social distancing. And if you’re the 1 out of 4 who doesn’t get it, your neighbors know how important this is to keep their families and friends safe. And we need you to get with the program."
City policy officials and professors from the University of Pennsylvania and Swarthmore College conducted the survey between May 5 and May 8, according to a news release.
The survey leaders then weighted the data to make it representative of the city population by age, race, gender and level of education, with a margin of error of 6.5%. Kenney said Black communities in the city were even more likely to believe in the importance of the public health precautions.
Later in the news conference, Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said residents should get used to wearing masks before entering a business, and that mask wearing would be important in keeping spread of the virus down.
"If we are to emerge from this shutdown as quickly as possible, we need as many people as possible to do what is right, and follow these common sense precautions," Kenney said. "It’s not that hard."
