A new study that tracks cell phone data has found a direct link between people coming out of quarantine and the rise in coronavirus cases.
Top Data’s "Social Distancing Adherence Report" suggests that a lack of social distancing is to blame for the spread of COVID-19 through the community.
The lines on the graph are pretty clear: Since states started reopening, people have been interacting more, and that correlates with the spread of the virus.
"Since daily person-to-person interactions have increased both nationwide and across a number of states, as governors and local officials have either relaxed regulations, done phased reopenings or gone to full reopenings, that increase in day-to-day human interaction has almost inevitably resulted in a pretty large increase in confirmed COVID cases," Top Data’s Sean Lansing said.
Lansing told KCBS Radio it’s easy to track how much we interact, by where and when we carry our smartphones.
"If you have a cell phone and you have an application on it, chances are that your data and your location are being tracked in some form or fashion," Lansing said.
Those interactions fell by 76% nationwide when stay-at-home orders took effect in late March, and 86% in California. Since then, people are mixing again, and coronavirus cases have spiked 276% nationally and 118% in California.
At least now, California seems to be doing better than most in still maintaining our distance.
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