Cellphone GPS data shows that Marylanders are failing to limit nonessential movement amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unacast, a company that tracks the movements of people through the cell phone signals, gives Marylanders an “F” for their efforts to socially distance during the COVID-19 public health crisis.
Unacast uses cell phone signals to track human movement to detect patterns in traffic and where people congregate. Using that technology, Unacast has been ranking states for their success at social distancing since the country’s first diagnosed coronavirus case in late February.
The company also tracks how many people travel to “non-essential” locations such as restaurants and department stores, and how many interactions people have with others.
The majority of states, 31, got an “F” for their social distancing efforts, and no state scored higher than a “D+.” Overall, the United States receives an “F” for how well its residents are distancing themselves from others.
“Scores” are determined by three key metrics, taken before and after the onset of coronavirus:
Change in Average Mobility (Based on Distance Traveled)
Change in Non-Essential Visits
Difference in Human Encounters (Compared to the National Baseline)
Check out the Unacast interactive map, which is updated daily, for more information.
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