Despite COVID-19 records, mobility has leveled off

MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — As Mecklenburg County and North Carolina set records for the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19, mobility in North Carolina and South Carolina has leveled off and remains below pre-pandemic levels, according to anonymous cell phone location data collected by Descartes Labs.

The data, analyzed by WCNC Charlotte, show the distance a typical person moves in a day. WCNC Charlotte's analysis found activity in the Carolinas slowly and steadily increased from April through mid-June. However, since then, minus a few small peaks and valleys, mobility has mostly stayed level, according to the data.

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Despite concerns about people traveling over Thanksgiving, the data suggest there wasn't a significant spike in movement last week. Mecklenburg County Health Director Gibbie Harris believes people's activity during the holiday will impact the number of COVID cases.

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"We do expect an increase," Harris said earlier this week. "We don't know what the extent of that will be, but we do expect one."

The data also show people in the Carolinas were slightly less active in November than they were in October, but continue to venture out more than the national average.

Mecklenburg County, however, is an exception, mirroring national mobility trends, according to the data. Mecklenburg County has remained below early March levels every day except for July 17, according to Descartes Labs.

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