CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to go up, our activity continues to increase as well, according to a WCNC Charlotte analysis of anonymous cell phone location data.
Mobility data collected by Descartes Labs, which shows the distance a typical person moves in a day, reveals a movement in Mecklenburg County recently hit its highest point in nearly three months.
"Unfortunately, we have seen a steady decrease in social distancing in Mecklenburg County," Health Director Gibbie Harris said earlier this week during a meeting of the Mecklenburg County Board of County Commissioners.
Over the most recent four weeks for which data is available, the numbers show the county's mobility has nearly doubled, from 1.78 miles a day, four weeks ago to 3.27.
Our analysis found the average person in Mecklenburg County had the most active day since March 13 on Friday, June 5, traveling 3.76 miles. That night marked one week of protests following the police killing of George Floyd and two weeks since Phase 2 of North Carolina's reopening plan.
In the meantime, the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Mecklenburg County continued to rise, according to county data.
"Obviously, we believe that is one of the things that is having an impact on the fact that our numbers are continuing to go up," Harris said Friday when we asked her about the increase in countywide mobility. "Before long, we will be back at where we were with social distancing when we put the stay at home order into place."
While more movement away from home doesn't necessarily translate to less social distancing, Harris said increased mobility does increase the risk of contact and with a larger part of the population still susceptible to COVID-19, said we all need to continue to be cautious.
"It is a concern because that means the potential spread is more rapid," she said. "We would prefer people do what we're asking them to do."
The location data has a three-day lag, so it is only updated through Tuesday of this week.
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