(WWJ) No one's in class right now, but if the Mitten State was in a room with a chalkboard at the front of it, a great big D- would be circled on it.
Why? Because that's the grade the entire state just got from Unacast for its current efforts to stay home and follow social distancing guidelines to avoid spread of COVID-19.
Data from cell phone tracking shows that Michigan is experiencing a 40 - 74% decrease in 'encounters density,' which is basically the number of times two unrelated cell phones are in the same room. The study also calculated the average distance a person in the state travels every day plus 'visits to non-essential venues', compared it to the national baseline and delivered a grade.
Under that data, Michigan isn't faring very well.
The study showed less than 55% reduction in residents currently making non-essential visits.
The study includes a chart graph of how Michiganders reduced their travels from March until now. The biggest compliance with the stay-at-home order happened April 12 when there was 55%-70% reduced mobility. Per Unacast's cell phone data measurements, travel fell almost 40% in the first three days after the first reported cases of coronavirus in Michigan. It eventually bottomed out in late March closer to 60% as cases spiked, and has since started gradually increasing day by day.
The study also shows that people are complying more in outlying areas than they are in the heart of metro Detroit. Luce and Benzie County got As and Bs for staying home, Huron County got a B- while Oakland, Wayne, and Washtenaw Counties received D's.
The worst offender? Macomb County earned an F. See the complete study HERE, where you can also track your own county by day.
Experts say social distancing is the key to avoiding the spread of coronavirus, which has shuttered schools, offices, many industries including the autos, plus bars, restaurants and any live concert of sporting event. The virus has sickened 48,201 Michiganders and claimed the lives of 4,674. Wayne County is hardest hit with 18,389 cases and 2,156 deaths.
