coronavirus chicago

Coronavirus Chicago: Cell phone data shows Cook County travel plummets after stay-at-home order

Friday, April 3, 2020

Cell phone data shows Chicagoans are, in fact, staying home during pandemic

Cell phone data from Chicagoans and Cook County residents shows people moving around drastically less than before last week.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicagoans are obeying the city's stay-at-home order to combat the spread of coronavirus. Cell phone data from Chicagoans and Cook County residents shows people moving around drastically less than before last week.

The data from Descartes Labs measures the maximum distance a cellphone has moved from its first reported location each morning, essentially measuring the furthest trip a person took from home. The data is anonymous and comes from users who have authorized sharing their location in apps like those for maps, social media or search engines.

Average Cook County residents went from moving 3.4 miles from home on March 9 to less than 3/100ths of a mile from home by March 23.

Analysis found that pattern held for most counties in the Chicago area, and only differed far outside the metro area in more rural counties, and particularly across the border in Indiana where the government has not strictly imposed movement limitations.

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