More than half of Americans now wear masks amid coronavirus outbreak: POLL

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Friday, April 10, 2020
Hopeful signs emerge as coronavirus deaths surge
More than 16,000 Americans have now died from COVID-19.

More than half of Americans are now wearing face coverings in public as part of the new normal during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll released Friday.

Fifty-five percent of Americans who left their home in the last week said they wore a face mask or face covering, while 45% said they did not.

Like many topics in a deeply polarized America, this decision had a partisan divide: 69% of Democrats and 47% of Republicans said they wore a face covering, a difference of 22 percentage points.

RELATED: Should Americans wear masks? Everything you need to know about new CDC guidelines

The poll, conducted between April 8 and 9, comes days after President Donald Trump announced the Center for Disease Control revised its guidelines on wearing masks.

Originally, health organizations urged only sick people and health care workers to wear face coverings, but new research shows that asymptomatic people may spread the coronavirus, and therefore wearing face masks in public may reduce transmission.

The poll also asked Americans about their attitude toward the president, their concerns over the pandemic, their optimism and pessimism about the impact of the virus on American life.

Click here for ABC News' full report.

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