Here’s How Well Virginia, DC Comply With Stay-At-Home Order

VIRGINIA — 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, until this past weekend more than 95 percent of the population was affected. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam issued a state-at-home order March 30 for residents to help contain the coronavirus outbreak. The order went into effect Monday and lasts until June 10.

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 Virginia, Northam said he issued the order after he noticed that people were congregating on beaches and gathering in parks over the weekend. Leaders of Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. also want to maintain uniform regional policies to fight the spread of the new coronavirus, or COVID-19. Like Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. also issued stay-at-home orders on Monday.

Local police will break up gatherings of 1o or more people. Residents also are encouraged to contact the police if they see stores or other establishments not enforcing social distancing or limiting their customer counts to 10 or fewer people.

As of March 29, Google reports that statewide movement to Virginia retail and recreational locations, dropped 39 percent against the baseline. Travel to groceries and pharmacies fell 16 percent; travel to transit hubs and similar locations dropped 50 percent; and to workplaces down 36 percent. Mobility to places of residence increased 11 percent, and travel to parks, beaches and gardens increased 46 percent.

District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a stay-at-home order Monday to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. People who violate the District's stay-at-home order may be guilty of a misdemeanor and, if convicted, may be fined up to $5,000, or imprisoned for up to 90 days, or both. The order took effect midnight on Tuesday.

As of March 29, Google reports that movement to District of Columbia retail and recreational locations, dropped 64 percent against the baseline. Travel to groceries and pharmacies fell 30 percent; travel to transit hubs and similar locations dropped 68 percent; travel to workplaces down 47 percent; and travel to parks, beaches and gardens decreased 41 percent. Mobility to places of residence increased 14 percent.

For updates on the coronavirus in Virginia and the District, get Patch news alerts.

In general, compliance is higher in urban areas of the Northeast, upper Midwest and West Coast than in rural areas, the South and the Great Plains.

The data comes with several important caveats:

• Tracking location does not show how often or how closely people come into contact with each other, and is not necessarily a predictor of infection.
• Rural residents often must travel farther to get groceries or other necessities, while city dwellers don’t have to move far to infect others.
• Higher-income residents often are able to comply more easily than low-income residents, whose jobs do not always allow them to work from home.

But public health experts agree that abiding by stay-at-home orders and advisories is critical to slowing the spread of the virus, or in “flattening the curve” of infection. Such measures are deemed so important that authorities have instructed police to break up large gatherings of people, and even begun arresting those who violate stay-at-home orders.

The methodology of the Google report can be found at the end of this document.

Related:

• Coronavirus: DC Mayor Addresses Stay-At-Home Order Penalties
• Here's What You Can Do Under VA's Coronavirus Stay-At-Home Order
• VA Residents Should Wear Face Masks: Gov. Northam, CDC
• Virginia Coronavirus Update: 2,407 Cases, 52 Deaths
• Kingstowne Area Places Of Worship Go Virtual Amid Coronavirus