Most RI Residents Still Wearing Masks: Patch Survey

RHODE ISLAND — Two years into the coronavirus pandemic, Rhode Island has seen more than 357,000 cases and 3,419 deaths.

But those weren't the only ways the pandemic affected Ocean State residents. Everyone has been touched by the virus in some shape or form, from lockdowns to business closures, from masking to social distancing, and much more. And many of those things are still altering the way Rhode Islanders live their lives.

Despite mask mandates ending in Rhode Island, 55.3 percent of state residents still wear masks in public settings, according to an online survey Patch conducted with its readers. That means mask-wearing is continuing among most Rhode Island Patch readers, despite 90.7 percent of the 153 respondents saying they got at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

For the 9.3 percent of respondents who didn't get vaccinated, Patch asked why, and answers varied.

"I have had adverse reactions to previous vaccines and was unwilling to take the risk with an unproven, new vaccine," one Rhode Island survey respondent said.

One respondent said they are young and healthy and don't believe the vaccine is necessary. Others questioned the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and were worried about dangerous side effects.

COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective at preventing serious illness and death, according to the U.S. Centers For Disease Control and prevention. The CDC says the vaccines use science that has been around for decades, serious side effects are extremely rare, and the vaccines are much safer than contracting the coronavirus.

"My household is not and will not be taking these jabs," another respondent said. "I knew, from independent source research, that they were going to be a failure and going to cause more harm than good."

The Loss of Family and Friends

Seventeen percent of survey respondents in Rhode Island said they lost a family member or friend to COVID-19. And a whopping 80.8 percent of those with losses said they were not able to hold or attend funeral services for their loved ones.

"We finally had a memorial service more than one year after he passed away," one respondent said regarding a loved one they lost.

Others couldn't be in the hospital with their family members to say goodbye.

"My mom died in the hospital during COVID," one respondent said. "I couldn’t be with her in the hospital or say goodbye."

Pandemic restrictions also affected funerals for those that died from non-COVID-19 causes. One survey respondent said one of their family members died from something other than the coronavirus, and just five people were allowed to attend the service.

Economic Impacts

Nearly 30 percent of respondents said their personal finances are worse because of the coronavirus pandemic, stemming from lockdowns, lay-offs and businesses not being able to weather the storm.

According to the survey, 46.7 percent of Rhode Island respondents could not work continuously at one job during the pandemic.

"I work full time as a substitute teacher in our district, so when we went to distance learning, I was not working, but homeschooling with my four children," one respondent said. "When they went back to school, I returned to working at the school."

"I retired two years ahead of when I was planning," another respondent said. "[I'm] Living at a third of what I was bringing in."

About the survey

Patch opened the survey to readers on Feb. 28 and asked Rhode Islanders a number of specific and open-ended questions about how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted their lives. Patch received answers from 153 respondents.

The survey was not scientific, but gave a general gauge of how Rhode Island Patch readers feel two years into the coronavirus pandemic.