A recent report created by Google shows that for the most part, people in Wyoming are minding the social distancing recommendations established by Governor Mark Gordon and the federal government.
The COVID-19 Community Mobility Report tracks people’s smartphone movement in regions all around the world using anonymous location data to see how people are traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There is one catch: Google calculates these insights based on data from users who have opted-in to Location History for their Google accounts, so the data represents just a sample of a region’s users. In other words, your privacy is safe, and if you choose to turn off your Location History, you won’t be a part of the tracking sample.
“As with all samples, this may or may not represent the exact behavior of a wider population,” Google states in its latest report.
Sweetwater County Trends
The mobility changes were tracked from February 16 to March 29 and measured specific travel data in six different categories: retail and recreation; grocery and pharmacy; workplace; transit stations; residential; and parks.
Here in Sweetwater County, the report shows that travel was down 33% in retail and recreation. That’s not surprising given the recent closure orders handed down by the governor. Grocery and pharmacy showed a slight drop in travel while workplace travel was down 22%. The trends in Sweetwater County were felt all around the Cowboy State in March. Here’s the average for Wyoming last month:
Transit stations (buses, airports, taxis) rose above the baseline, while residential travel increased by 15% indicating that people are staying close to home and not moving much beyond the local convenience or grocery store.
Statistics for the rest of Wyoming vary by county. Once Jackson Hole decided to issue its own shelter-in-place order, Teton County’s percentages plummeted across the six categories. Waskie County, on the other hand, is seeing relatively high mobility. People in Wyoming are still enjoying the great outdoors and the latest stats show parks mobility trending updward.
Wyoming is not hurting as much as our neighbors in the retail and recreation categories. The map shows both Montana and Colorado at -55% while Utah is at -41%.
Google will continue to calculate mobility changes during the COVID-19 pandemic with the same kind of data used to show popular times for places in Google Maps.
THE LATEST COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS NEWS & INFO FROM THE WYOMING DEPT. OF HEALTH
What to do if you feel sick: If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and are showing symptoms, please call your primary care provider or seek medical attention.
Please follow these tips to slow the spread of this virus:
- Follow Public Health Orders
- Practice social distancing of 6 feet or more.
- Wear cloth face coverings in public settings, especially when physical distancing of at least 6 feet isn’t available.
- Stay home when sick and avoid other people unless you need medical attention.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Older people and those with health conditions that mean they have a higher chance of getting seriously ill should avoid close-contact situations.
- Long-term care and healthcare facilities should follow guidelines for infection control and prevention.
For current news, updates, closures and resources, please visit our COVID-19 Coronavirus page here.
