Here's How Well Cape May Co. Is Complying With Stay-At-Home Order

CAPE MAY COUNTY, NJ — As the spread of coronavirus accelerated in recent weeks, more and more Americans have come under state or local stay-at-home orders and advisories. As of Sunday, more than 300 million Americans in 41 states — including New Jersey — have been asked or ordered to stay home.

Cape May County has shown its compliance with stay-at-home orders is better than much of the country (see numbers below).

The need to stay home has become increasingly urgent now that the statewide number of cases has risen to 44,416, and 1,232 people have died as of Tuesday afternoon. Cape May County has reported 99 total cases, 15 recoveries and one death as of Tuesday.

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The purpose of these orders and advisories is to minimize the spread of the virus, which is highly contagious, although the scope of the orders varies by state and locality. Compliance with them varies widely, too, as Google has demonstrated with its community mobility reports, and by the business data firm Cuebiq, which compiled its COVID-19 Mobility Insights. Both aggregate location data from cellphones to track the movements of large numbers of people.

As of March 29, Google reports that nationwide movement to retail and recreational locations, including restaurants, shopping centers, movie theaters and the like, dropped 47 percent against a baseline set for the weeks Jan. 3 to Feb. 6.

Travel to groceries and pharmacies fell 22 percent; to parks, to beaches and gardens 19 percent; to transport hubs such as bus and train stations, 51 percent; and to workplaces 42 percent. Mobility to places of residence showed the only increase, of 16 percent.

In Cape May County, which — like all New Jersey — has been under a stay-at-home orders since March 21, greater compliance has been reported all categories except parks, beaches and gardens.

As of March 29, Google reports that movement in Cape May County to the following trends the following compared to the baseline:

• 49 percent drop in retail and recreation
• 27 percent drop in grocery and pharmacy
• 14 percent drop in parks, beaches and gardens
• 59 percent drop in transit stations
• 41 percent drop in workplaces
• 19 percent rise in residential mobility

See how Cape May County fared compared to the rest of New Jersey. Read more: Here's How Well New Jersey Is Complying With Stay-At-Home Order

Cape May County may have seen a bigger decrease in use of parks and beaches since March 29 though. Many shore towns, including Ocean City, have closed attractions such as beaches and boardwalks.

Ocean City already closed playgrounds and other recreational facilities in mid-March. Governor Phil Murphy ordered Tuesday the closure of state and county parks. Read more: Gov. Murphy Closes Parks On NJ Coronavirus Crisis's Deadliest Day

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