#New Yorkers fear second wave as COVID-19 restrictions relax, new survey finds

ALBANY — Over half of the state thinks the worst of the coronavirus pandemic still lies ahead, with a majority of New Yorkers fearful of indoor activities and sending kids back to in-person schooling, a new poll has found.

Fifty-one percent of New Yorkers said they think the worst of the coronavirus pandemic is still to come, according to a new Siena College poll released Wednesday.

Thirty-four percent surveyed said the worst is over, and 15 percent were undecided on the matter.

Another 86 percent are concerned that in the fall, New York will face another large outbreak of COVID-19.

That number remains high across all regions — 87 percent of those in New York City, 85 in Upstate and 84 in suburbia agree they fear that a second wave is coming.

Almost two-thirds of voters said they wouldn’t try five out of six indoor activities for fear of contracting the deadly bug amidst the Empire State’s cautious reopening efforts.

Seventy-two percent of respondents said they wouldn’t feel comfortable having a drink at a bar, compared to twenty-four percent willing to take the risk.

An even larger percentage, at 73 to 23 percent, said they would not be at ease if watching a movie at a theater.

When asked about working out at a gym, 70 percent did not feel comfortable compared to 27 percent.

A majority of New Yorkers — at a 65 percent to 31 percent ratio — would not go to a bowling alley, and 58 percent of eligible voters said they would not be comfortable participating in indoor dining.

That figure jumps higher in New York City — where indoor dining has yet to reopen despite increased pressure from the restaurant industry — as 65 percent of city denizens said they wouldn’t want to eat indoors compared to 32 percent who said they would feel comfortable.

The state has recorded 25 straight days of a statewide positive virus infection rate below one percent Tuesday.

New Yorkers are also not on board with completely opening schools to in-person instruction.

When asked to reflect on the impact that remote learning this spring had on kids grades K through 12, 18 percent said they support a full return to in-person education with social distancing methods in place, 46 percent said schools should be closed and remote learning continues and 33 percent said they would support a hybrid model of the two.

Fifty-four percent of New York City residents said they support a hybrid model.

Separate data shows parents with kids in the public school system living within the five boroughs agree a hybrid model is best — at 63 percent; although 37 percent prefer remote learning.

Respondents think completely reopening schools runs too great a risk of spreading the killer virus among students, teachers and other families, at 62 percent, compared to 32 percent who argue the negative effect on students of not reopening the schools is too great and poses a hardship on families.

Meanwhile, Mayor Bill de Blasio and powerful education union officials announced a last-minute deal Tuesday morning that the city’s classrooms will now be opening Sept. 21, instead of a formerly set date of Sept. 10.

Kids will start instruction online Sept. 16 and then move to a hybrid, partial model between in-person and remote learning.

The poll surveyed 745 New Yorkers between Aug. 20-27, and it has an overall margin of error of plus-or-minus 4.0 percentage points.