(Screen grab from PBS Utah's monthly press conference)
SALT LAKE CITY — Nearly half of Utahns think it will be at least a year before we return to normal in the COVID-19 pandemic. But Utah’s governor is more optimistic.
The Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll shows 27% of Utahns think we are one year a way from a return to normal, and 20% think it will take several years.
But 21% say the state will return to normal by the fall, and 12% think it will be in 3-6 months.
19% were not sure.
Meanwhile, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox says it will be soon.
He tweeted Tuesday that he is baffled by the pessimism from Washington DC. He says the data is positive, cases are going down, vaccinations are going up, and he believes Utahns will be celebrating mask-less in large groups by July Fourth if not sooner.
“Your turn will come; it’s coming sooner than you think,” he said Tuesday on Utah’s Morning News about the vaccine rollout.
Cox pointed to data in his tweets.
He sees new reasons to be hopeful with Wednesday’s news of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, too.
The Deseret News poll also asked Utahns about their level of worry about getting COVID-19. And they are less worried about contracting COVID-19 than they were in January. It went from 64% very or somewhat concerned, to 57% now. 35% were not very or not at all concerned compared to 43% in the newest poll.