New Yorkers Doing Less Social Distancing Than Those In Italy, Spain, Google Data Shows

New tracking data compiled by experts at Google revealed New Yorkers are doing less social distancing than other countries hit hard by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) such as Italy.

This chart shows how social distancing can dramatically reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Photo Credit: *Statista*

A look at the five main steps New York State is taking to obtain the outbreak of the novel strain of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Photo Credit: *Governor's Office*

Kathy Reakes

04/06/2020 5:00 a.m.

The company said Friday, April 3, the charts "provide insights into what has changed in response to policies aimed at combating COVID-19."

The release of the data comes just a day after the government and medical officials said they could tell people were not following requests to stay at home and social distancing by the increase in the number of cases.

The data chart movement trends over time by geography, across different categories of places such as retail and recreation, groceries and pharmacies, parks, transit stations, workplaces, and residential.

It was gathered at the end of March and compared against data from February before the full wallop of the virus was beginning in the U.S.

A look at the data by the New York Post found that in New York, foot traffic in public parks was down 47 percent and people at transit stations down 68 percent — compared to around 90 percent in Italy and Spain.

In NYC, the changes were greatest in Manhattan, but still, below European rates that showed an 80 percent drop compared to a 55 percent drop in Brooklyn, the Post said.

The Google data also showed, under a category labeled "retail and recreation," that New Yorkers were also going out more people in Europe and more were working.

Will the data help U.S. residents learn?

To date, the U.S. has the world’s largest outbreak of COVID-19.

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