Masks And Coronavirus In New Jersey: Take Our Survey

NEW JERSEY — The coronavirus pandemic has placed a tremendous strain on nearly everyone and everything, and seems to have widened the political divisions so noticeable in American and New Jersey life. Perhaps the most visible sign of these divisions is the debate over the need for masks, and it's the impetus for why Patch is conducting a survey on their usage (see the survey below).

New Jersey has ordered residents to wear masks when practicable and when social distancing is impossible, such as when they're shopping in a grocery store or when employees are serving tables at a restaurant. Read more: Gov. Murphy: 'Hard Dates' In NJ Coronavirus Reopening Blueprint

Indeed, mask-wearing has been a critical component of Gov. Phil Murphy's reopening decisions, and he's often noted that their usage has helped New Jersey effectively prevent a resurgence of coronavirus cases – and even helped continue a declining trend of the virus's impact on the Garden State – since the state started reopening its economy a month ago. Read more: Gov. Murphy: NJ 'On Track' To Contain Coronavirus; Here's Why

Murphy scoffs at the idea that requiring people to wear masks is a violation of a person's civil liberties. "You may think you look silly to wear a mask on your face on a fine late spring day, but you look even sillier in a hospital gown," Murphy said

Murphy will address the public directly during a Wednesday news conference at 1 p.m., and he's supposed to address contact tracing as well as additional reopenings. Patch will cover it live. Read more: WATCH LIVE: Gov. Phil Murphy NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Update

The CDC, meanwhile, said face coverings may help slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.

And a recent study from Cambridge and Greenwich universities in the United Kingdom found that cloth masks — even homemade masks ' can "dramatically reduce transmission rates if worn by enough people, regardless of whether they show symptoms."

Patch has created this survey to find out what readers think about the mask issue. The survey is not meant to be a scientific poll, with random sampling and margins of error, but is meant only to gauge the sentiments of our readers in an informal way.

The poll will close Monday at 10 a.m. Results will be posted later.