COVID-19 Mobility Reports from Google
Google released a set of community mobility reports using their anonymized movement data from Google Maps:
Officials could use these to compare policies and communication tactics across similar jurisdictions. I do wish the data were more granular, but I understand the privacy implications that would pose.
Shaming South Dakota
Let's compare Sioux Falls South Dakota with Louisville, Kentucky – two similar cities.
As of March 31, South Dakota is the only state not implementing social distancing or shelter-in-place measures. Kentucky is.
Here is the mobility report for Minnehaha County that contains Sioux Falls. Sioux Falls is South Dakota's most populous city.
Compare that with Jefferson County, containing Louisville, KY:
There's a more substantial drop in retail and workplace attendance in Louisville in Sioux Falls. There is also a higher increase in park attendance.
There's a lot of nuances, though. For example, Sioux Falls has COVID19 guidance their site. But without a statewide order, it may not be striking a lot of the population as necessary.
Californians hate parks?
I also found this interesting. Louisville and Sioux Falls had a significant spike in park attendance. San Diego County had a significant drop.
It's possible San Diegans hate parks. Or – more likely – the end of winter in Kentucky and South Dakota was encouraging people to go outside.
Downloading the Reports
To download these, head over to the Community Mobility Reports page, and find your state.
The first page of the report shows aggregated metrics for the state, with an explanation of what they are:
As you scroll down, you can get individual county reports.
If you end up finding them useful, please let me know how by tweeting me @MrMaksimize.