How Good Are Americans at Social Distancing? It Depends

Here’s how different parts of the nation are reacting to COVID-19 and the social distancing protocols being implemented by the states.

Published: April 8, 2020Author: CS Staff

Educational facilities have seen the greatest decrease in building entry. By March 30, in response to the COVID-19 crisis, building unlocks of schools and universities were down to 10%.

Openpath has published its Social Distancing Index, which reveals how different parts of the United States are reacting to COVID-19 and social distancing protocols.

The company’s access control platform has visibility into the entry logs of more than 1,200 unique organizations spanning the country.

The anonymized data has a wide range of industry segments including commercial real estate, business/enterprise, education, places of worship, gyms, retail and manufacturing, giving Openpath insights into how COVID-19 and social distancing are impacting the country at a granular level.

Openpath measured social distancing through its building entry software beginning the week of February 24, when all states were operating at 100%. As of April 6, building entry stood at 26%.

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Here are more insights from the survey:

Building Entry Activity by State

Michigan saw the biggest decrease in building entries in the third week of March (3/16) compared to the second week (3/9) – an 85% decrease.
California was the first state to issue a stay-home order on 3/19. But social distancing was being practiced before that—building entry decreased from 84% to 33% between the week of 3/9 and 3/16.
Massachusetts practiced social distancing early, as building entries decreased by 50% from the week of 3/2 to the week of 3/9, more than any other state.
In contrast, Nebraska has yet to issue a shelter-in-place order, so data shows no decrease in building entry.
States that were late to issue a shelter in place continued to see relatively high rates of building entry the week of 3/30:
- Georgia (shelter in place effective: 4/3, building entry week of 3/30: 63%)

Building Entry Activity by Industry

Across industries, education, gyms and places of worship have seen the greatest decreases in building entry. By the week of 3/30, building unlocks in these locations were down to:

- - Education: 10%
  - Gym: 10%
  - Places of worship: 16%

Meanwhile, manufacturing/industrial workplaces and government continue to see relatively high building entry. The week of 3/30, building unlocks in these locations stood at: