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While Washington has yet to issue a national stay at home order, many states and businesses have taken it upon themselves to urge people to stay home to halt the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. But for some people, cabin fever is proving too strong to overcome.
That’s dangerous, of course. Even if you feel healthy, you could be spreading the virus to others. Now Google has launched a new website that uses anonymous location data from users of its products and services to estimate how effective people are at social distancing on a state by state (and country by country) basis.
The COVID-19 Community Mobility Report breaks down its data into six categories: Retail and recreation, grocery and pharmacy, parks, transit stations, workplaces, and residential. The data can help healthcare officials determine up and coming coronavirus hotspots, but it also can help residents get a sense of how serious people in their state are taking social distancing precautions.
The data is being updated regularly, so it’s always worth checking in with the site to see if neighbors are sheltering more or less as the situation evolves. (Google notes it should not be used for guidance on personal travel plans.) But, as of March 29 (the most recent data available at the time this story was written), here’s who seems to be paying the most attention to warnings.
A note on our methodology: Our comparisons focused on the retail and recreation and parks categories, since those are two of the most popular non-essential ways people could be leaving the house, but still potentially infecting others.
Here’s what we found: Retail and recreation traffic to places like restaurants, shopping centers, libraries, movie theaters, and cafes was down across the board. This isn’t especially surprising, given how many retailers are closing their doors to protect their employees and the general public.
Parks were a different matter, though. While many people were sheltering at home and avoiding public areas (including beaches, dog parks, plazas, and public gardens), several states saw explosions in traffic at these gathering spots. In fact, traffic in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Ohio more than doubled. And North Dakota was close behind.
Curious how the numbers were in your state? Here’s a breakdown of traffic compared to the baseline.
Alabama
Retail and Recreation: -41%
Parks: +19%
Alaska
Retail and Recreation: -48%
Parks: +18%
Arizona
Retail and Recreation: -40%
Parks: -7%
Arkansas
Retail and Recreation: -29%
Parks: +81%
California
Retail and Recreation: -50%
Parks: -38%
Colorado
Retail and Recreation: -51%
Parks: -12%
Connecticut
Retail and Recreation: -56%
Parks: -52%
Delaware
Retail and Recreation: -47%
Parks: -6%
District of Columbia
Retail and Recreation: -64%
Parks: -41%
Florida
Retail and Recreation: -50%
Parks: -48%
Georgia
Retail and Recreation: -48%
Parks: -2%
Hawaii
Retail and Recreation: -56%
Parks: -65%
Idaho
Retail and Recreation: -42%
Parks: +25%
Illinois
Retail and Recreation: -53%
Parks: -29%
Indiana
Retail and Recreation: -48%
Parks: +24%
Iowa
Retail and Recreation: -43%
Parks: +41%
Kansas
Retail and Recreation: -36%
Parks: +72%
Kentucky
Retail and Recreation: -37%
Parks: +68%
Louisiana
Retail and Recreation: -45%
Parks: -18%
Maine
Retail and Recreation: -50%
Parks: -24%
Maryland
Retail and Recreation: -45%
Parks: +29%
Massachusetts
Retail and Recreation: -59%
Parks: -56%
Michigan
Retail and Recreation: -58%
Parks: +15%
Minnesota
Retail and Recreation: -58%
Parks: +16%
Mississippi
Retail and Recreation: -32
Parks: +27
Missouri
Retail and Recreation: -38%
Parks: +73%
Montana
Retail and Recreation: -51%
Parks: +28%
Nebraska
Retail and Recreation: -34%
Parks: +109%
Nevada
Retail and Recreation: -47%
Parks: -38%
New Hampshire
Retail and Recreation: -58%
Parks: -63%
New Jersey
Retail and Recreation: -59%
Parks: -36%
New Mexico
Retail and Recreation: -44%
Parks: -12%
New York
Retail and Recreation: -62%
Parks: -47%
North Carolina
Retail and Recreation: -40%
Parks: +13%
North Dakota
Retail and Recreation: -44%
Parks: +73%
Ohio
Retail and Recreation: -43%
Parks: +117%
Oklahoma
Retail and Recreation: -36%
Parks: +29%
Oregon
Retail and Recreation: -51%
Parks: -22%
Pennsylvania
Retail and Recreation: -50%
Parks: -7%
Rhode Island
Retail and Recreation: -55%
Parks: -50%
South Carolina
Retail and Recreation: -38%
Parks: -4%
South Dakota
Retail and Recreation: -35%
Parks: +126%
Tennessee
Retail and Recreation: -35%
Parks: +35%
Texas
Retail and Recreation: -45%
Parks: -27%
Utah
Retail and Recreation: -41%
Parks: +26%
Vermont
Retail and Recreation: -62%
Parks: -55%
Virginia
Retail and Recreation: -39%
Parks: +46%
Washington
Retail and Recreation: -48%
Parks: -11%
West Virginia
Retail and Recreation: -38%
Parks: +52%
Wisconsin
Retail and Recreation: -55%
Parks: -12%
Wyoming
Retail and Recreation: -37%
Parks: +29%
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