Spring Break vs. COVID-19: Mapping the Real Impact of Ignoring Social Distancing

Yes­ter­day, the Unit­ed States sur­passed Chi­na, becom­ing the world leader in COVID-19 infec­tions. It’s not hard to under­stand why. Social dis­tanc­ing remains very uneven. Domes­tic trav­el con­tin­ues unchecked. Asymp­to­matic car­ri­ers stay on the move. Start­ing on the coasts, COVID-19 is now mov­ing inex­orably across the nation, com­ing to a city or town near you.

If you want to get a glimpse of how COVID-19 can spread, watch this clip from Tec­tonix GEO. It uses data from anonymized mobile devices to trace the move­ment of Spring Break partiers who con­gre­gat­ed at one sin­gle Ft. Laud­erdale beach, then moved back across the Unit­ed States, in each case poten­tial­ly bring­ing the virus with them. It’s a quick case study show­ing how an infec­tious dis­ease can spread through a coun­try that wants to remain mobile come hell, pan­dem­ic, or high water.

Relat­ed Con­tent:

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