May 13, 2020

"Last week, the share of people staying home was 36.1 percent, on average, or about 119 million people."

"That’s a drop of 7.7 percentage points from the average during the peak period for sheltering in place.... The share of people staying home remained far higher than the U.S. average before the outbreak, which consistently hovered around 20.7 percent of the population, or about 68 million people.... No state saw a larger drop in the share of people staying home last week than Michigan, even though its stay-at-home order remained in place. While half of the state’s residents stayed home on average during the preceding six weeks, that number declined by nearly 11 percentage points last week, as approximately one million people there started moving around again...."

The NYT knows where you've been and who's been bad or good. Michigan tops the list of bad — the moving-around flouters. Wisconsin holds 4th place among the bad. And the NYT doesn't mention this, but it's a sign that Trump will be reelected... unless everything starts going to hell. Again.

Go to the link to see the county-by-county map — "Where people started leaving home again/Percentage point change in the share of people staying home." How does the NYT know this? It uses data from Cuebiq, which takes "a representative sample of about 15 million smartphone users nationwide who have agreed to share their location data with certain apps." It's not snooping on you. You agreed! With certain apps.

Quite aside from that invasion of our privacy — by our lax acceptance of the demands of apps — there's the insinuation that we're violating our state governments' orders if we do not stay home. But where are we required to stay home? Not here in Wisconsin. We're free to leave the house. It really irritates me to hear mainstream news and commentary speaking of a requirement to stay home. The requirement is social distancing! Maybe in New York City, you need to stay home to avoid violating the strictures of social distancing, but that's not true in most of the country. If people are leaving home to take walks or go food shopping, they're not disregarding orders.

Whether people are thinking for themselves and following their own ideas about how much social distancing they want or need instead of following orders — that's another matter entirely. And I don't think the certain apps are measuring that.

59 comments:

whitney said...

What happens when everyone starts moving again and spending money? There's a good possibility it is going to be out of control inflation. Staying home and not spending money is keeping that under control right now

Quayle said...

Street traffic is noticeably up here in Oakland County, Michigan (north-east suburbs of Detroit).

rehajm said...

What's worse is it's the delta- we're showing the places that have most changed their behavior from being good little Do Bees to starting to move around. No credit for time served.

Meanwhile we've been playing golf all along in the Carolinas buyt we get a pale shade of tan.

David Begley said...

I haven’t stay home a single day.

wendybar said...

The media are all scaremongers who love nothing better than to divide our country further. They've done a great job with all of the hoaxes they spewed for 5 years that weren't true, yet they are still claiming they are. Turn off the liars.

Browndog said...

Michigan: Stay Home, Stay Safe.

According to Whitmer, you are only legally allowed to purchase food and medicine. Though stores are allowed to sell other products now, you are still only allowed to travel to purchase food or medicine legally.

Yesterday the State's top health official said the Upper Peninsula is under lock down, and will remain under lock down, because the hospitals are at capacity.

Yet, according to the hospitals themselves, there are a total of 6 corona virus patients in hospitals in the entire U.P.

Darrell said...

The NYT should move to Wuhan and take the Democrats with them.

MartyH said...

My phone will tell the NYT that I travelled well over 100 miles Saturday-most on my bicycle in the lightly populated foothills around here. Three contacts of no more than two minutes each in a county with 55 cases and zero deaths. The odds of getting run over by a car are greater than getting Covid.

dwick said...

Sure... we can leave the house. But many states are restricting where we can go and under what conditions we can go there. If you just want to go out and aimlessly wander around taking pictures of sunrises, great... others have more purposeful things they want to do.

Todd said...

There used to be an axiom, never make a rule you won't or can't enforce. People are FED up. They agreed to 15 days to flatten the curve. That is LONG past.

I am both delighted and saddened. There are both more and less sheep than I thought...

dwick said...

Sure... we can leave the house. But many states are restricting where we can go and under what conditions we can go there. If you just want to go out and aimlessly wander around taking pictures of sunrises, great... but believe it or not, others may have more purposeful things they need/want to do.

tim maguire said...

Is there any important issue we can trust the media to handle with the appropriate amount of care or gravity?

None that I know of.

AllenS said...

AllenS reporting from Polk County WI. Very few people have been infected, with no deaths. Healthy people are, and have been going about their business and usual. Our Sheriff has refused to enforce any of Evers' orders.

Too bad about Madison WI, but you deserve the government that you vote for.

Shouting Thomas said...

The Democratic Party and the CCP are engaged in a conspiracy to force the U.S. into submission to communism.

This shutdown is a campaign of economic sabotage, with its immediate goal the defeat of President Trump.

All I can do now is to try get myself out from under the tyrant’s thumb. Looks like it’s every man for himself.

MadisonMan said...

I haven't stayed home inside one day in the past months. Even the cold rainy days I would go out to drive.

MayBee said...

Whitmer isn't going to let go as long as her polling numbers remain high. One thing I would really like to see is who has to promise her campaign contributions in order to get their businesses up and running. But the nice weather isn't keeping us home, and we're supposedly in the middle of it all. Northern Michigan must be tempted to ignore her completely.

Yeah I've got to think our local yarn shop owner has to wonder why the big nurseries get to open (and I'm glad they did) but they have to remain closed.

What if all businesses could open, but people had to social distance. And nursing homes got more test kits and people who get sick in nursing homes go to the mall in Novi that was set up as a hospital and has cared for 5 patients?

What if Whitmer released nursing home data?

tcrosse said...

The Telegraph has revealed that the Archbishop of Canterbury has been working incognito as a chaplain in a London hospital. Next we'll hear that the Pope is wrangling bedpans.

Original Mike said...

"Yesterday the State's top health official said the Upper Peninsula is under lock down,"

I had plans to visit geologic outcrops in the UP this summer. There won't be anyone else at these obscure sites. Will I be arrested looking at rocks?

Sydney said...

Whether people are thinking for themselves and following their own ideas about how much social distancing they want or need instead of following orders — that's another matter entirely. And I don't think the certain apps are measuring that.

Exactly. They have Ohio lumped in their with closed states, but we have always been allowed to go to parks, take walks, get carry out, go to garden centers, hardware stores, grocery stores, and any store that sells food or medicines, even if most of their business is retail. Also allowed to go to JoAnn Fabrics. Also, Ohio started opening up last week.

MayBee said...

Don't media companies have a vested interest in having people Stay Home, Stay Scared?

Bay Area Guy said...

Time to return to work.

Let the people work!

exhelodrvr1 said...

Democrats are the hall monitors-wannabes from grade school

Shouting Thomas said...

This talk about government “allowing” citizens to go about their lives and business is absolutely horrifying.

stevew said...

Mrs. stevew and I drove up to a town on the coast yesterday at about 5pm. We picked up some take-out and then parked in a lot along the Merrimack river. The lot was near capacity. There were people walking, jogging, fishing. A small family was playing in a park with their dog. No one that I could see in the cars had on masks. About half the people out of their cars wore masks. On the highway were plenty of vehicles, traveling in both directions. Is it advised that we should leave our cell phones at home when we go out?

narciso said...

Funemployment tabulated.

DUSTER said...

Original Mike said...
"Yesterday the State's top health official said the Upper Peninsula is under lock down,"

I had plans to visit geologic outcrops in the UP this summer. There won't be anyone else at these obscure sites. Will I be arrested looking at rocks?

I think you'll be just fine Mike, no local law enforcement that i know of is actually enforcing these orders, that could change of course. UTV/ATV season is open, groups of people are taking to the woods, meeting at a spot, make a fire, cook some hotdogs and....shake hands or hug, all done under the cover of the forest like a Druid ceremony.

iowan2 said...

The girl that cuts my hair texted me and said enough is enough and gave me two appt times to choose from. (much easier to go unnoticed here in flyover country). The larger point, even people pleasing rule followers are breaking out.

I listen to Fauci yesterday. Lots of concerning trolling about opening too soon(never give parameters needed to open up) spikes mean death. It's all theater. You know if you are at risk, take care or suffer. Your choice.

35% of deaths are already in highly govt regulated, controlled environments, called long term senior living complexes. For some reason, experts haven't figured out how to protect the vulnerable. Another 60% are in danger because of underlying health conditions. Starving the strong and healthy is the only option,(but the old and sick are stilling going succumb to the virus)

JackWayne said...

How in anyway is this a valid “study” (let’s call it)? It’s just more ridiculous data in a situation stern with fake data.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

The law, our history and traditions, and all of our prior epidemiology experience tells us that quarantining the sick and protecting the vulnerable is the correct and effective and lawful way to handle an outbreak. I’m starting to grow very weary of this sudden emphasis on “better safe than sorry” that becomes the Fauci excuse for moving the goals again. We do not imprison healthy productive people because “a few cuties might spike into an outbreak.”

Why? Because at any time, literally, we “might” see an outbreak somewhere. The Big Switch from “slow the spread” to tyrannical shutdowns based on no science reminds of the other huge endeavor, investigating Trump-Russia collusion, also morphed from a “counter-intelligence” investigation to a set-up/cover-up project to protect Obama’s career DOJ bad actors. The Mueller Switch project is now the Fauci Switch project, pushed by the same bad actors, cheered by the same media malefactors, and presented to the public with the same breathless hair on fire vehemence they only exhibit when they have Trump’s scent in the noses and they are trying to get him. By get I mean frame and blame as per usual.

Fascists have SO MUCH MOMENTUM behind them right now they don’t realize their support left the room long ago. Only a few still believe anything our “experts” say.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Bull.

They only know about the people who have their cell phones ON their person. A surprisingly large number of people either do not have cell phones or don't carry them every damned place they go. Many others have turned off the GPS tracking on their phones. Lots of people don't have GPS in their cars either.

"Staying at home" doesn't mean you are a prisoner in your house. I have had two doctors visits since this hoohah all started which means driving a round trip of 190 miles...at which time we also flagrantly went shopping at Costco, Winco, Trader Joe's as well as the Tractor Supply store, Harbor Freight, and several other places. We also have taken several day trips of about 300 miles or more per round trip. We plan to go again Friday. Zero cases of Wuhan Fly in our area or in the surrounding Counties.

Up yours Newsome.

No one is "allowing" us to go and no one is "forcing" us to stay in our house.

The numbers of people you see driving up and down the roads with their RVs, Fifth Wheels and Trailers hasn't significantly diminished, as far as I can tell.

Original Mike said...

Thanks DUSTER. I am concerned, because a lot of the sites are along the side of the road so I'll be conspicuous, though clearly not a threat to the cars driving by.

carrie said...

Where you go when you leave home is what is relevant. In Wisconsin, we can go to parks and still be social distancing as well as go to the grocery store and other essential places. I drive to parks that are not crowded to hike and I drive 5 miles to the grocery store because I live out in the country, but I consider myself to be staying at home and social distancing.

Kai Akker said...

What is the first thing you've been unable to do, that you want to do once it's open?

My first answer was get to the Art Museum. That would still be my answer, but the indoor aspect is a slight negative. My other answer is go orienteering, an outdoor event all of whose competitions in my area were canceled (although I did get to do one of the first ones, when there was some worry but no shutdown as that time).

Orienteering is by definition socially distanced. The schedule is currently canceled until July!, but I am hopeful organizers will leap to their first opportunity.

Money Manger said...

In 20 years if you go out of your house without your cell phone/tracking device, you will be subject to arrest or significant fine. The police will be able to determine compliance from a far distance.

Spiros said...

I think the shutdown is a massive win for the Democrats:

1. The shutdown will decimate the working class. So that's good for Pelosi and company.
2. People in the middle class, especially small business owners and farmers, are getting hurt. These people will begin to identify with the working poor because their lives will be more precarious. They will no longer identify with the top 1% or the top 5%. "Reforms" like universal healthcare and pre-K are going to get a lot more popular.
3. Wages won't keep up and prices will soar. ($ 6 for a pound of ground beef? What the hell! Or how about $ 5,000 or $ 10,000 for Gilead's mediocre drug for Covid 19?)
4. Guess who's profiting from this madness? It's not only Jeff Bezos but the assh*les who run the gig economy. Inequality is a big win for the Dems.
5. And how about the kids who were encouraged to “do what you love” in college? Bad advice when times get tough and you have massive student loans.

Then add shame to this toxic stew. Americans feel deeply ashamed about their financial struggles. I think Trump is going to get annihilated in the fall.

But there is a bright spot in all this chaos for Trump: the rise of 1% television. During the shutdown, Americans are watching record amounts of TV. TV shows like “Billions,” “Downton Abbey,” “The Crown” and “Ozark” are especially popular. These shows are about very wealthy, scummy people. Many of us identify with these characters or, at least, find escape. And Trump is just like them. He's wealthy, gross and morally compromised!

William said...

I still go out but I don't usually have a destination when I go out. This adds another level of futility to my already pointless life.

hombre said...

When the second round hits because nobody is immune the leftmediaswine will say Trump put ignored Fauci and put the country back to work too soon. They will see that neither he nor Fredo Sr. get the credit they deserve for killing people.

Sebastian said...

"The requirement is social distancing!"

And the scientific evidence for its benefit is . . .

Next thing you know, old women on trails will complain about healthy young men not keeping their distance.

Danno said...

Darrell said...The NYT should move to Wuhan and take the Democrats with them.

A cheaper alternative would be to serve them Jim Jones' special-recipe Kool-Aid.

chickelit said...

There is new showdown gathering in Orange County, CA. Congressional Democrats whose districts are in or impinge on the county are threatening to block further reopening because we're too healthy! The Congressional Dems want to know why testing, reported cases, and deaths are significantly lower than surrounding counties. The Feds are threatening to block local leaders who want to further reopen. The Congressional meddling is supported by my Congressional Rep, the morbidly obese Trump-hater, Katie Porter (PRC).

Leland said...

The requirement is social distancing!

I'm not buying this anymore. The requirement is socialism. Either we accept full government controlled socialism or we stay in lockdown, as if there was a difference. And note, the word in media is now lockdown. That's because lockdown means "stay at home". Because there is no way your local totalitarian can square the notion that it is reasonably safe to go to grocery store, but unsafe for you to go to a retail store that on a good day in December would be happy to have 2 different customers visiting at the same time. So you must stay home, in lockdown, which isn't so much an insinuation but a threat backed in many cases fines and in a few cases jail time.

chickelit said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Fernandinande said...

"I think a lot of people who lived their lives in a quivering state of imminent ecological collapse-panic have moved those emotions from that box into this one, and feel energized because the dread now seems even more imminent, and they have Science! on their side, and their enemies are all the right enemies, and this time they can make a difference. And it requires nothing."

Danno said...

MayBee said...Don't media companies have a vested interest in having people Stay Home, Stay Scared?

Only if you didn't stop paying and drop cable while continuing your internet service. You can have 300+ channels but nothing worthwhile to watch.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

What is the first thing you've been unable to do, that you want to do once it's open?

Take a trip, stay in a motel, go OUT to dinner.

However, I'm gonna have to know if the motel was one of those that was forced to house the 'homeless'. Then we will not stay there. I'd rather catch Wuhan Flu than bedbugs and the filth that the homeless leave.

Tommy Duncan said...

Define "stay at home". Am I violating stay at home when I drive alone 20 miles to my 80 acres of woods to work alone cutting firewood?

Do I violate stay at home when I drive alone 10 miles to the boat landing to go fishing?

Is 36% "staying at home" enough to make a difference? Hasn't this always been about distance, crowd density and physical contact? Most of our citizens can control how much exposure they will tolerate. Sadly, the least and worst protected have been the elderly in our nursing homes who have nearly zero control over their exposure level.

The scandal in the COVID-19 outbreak has been the mindless handling of COVID-19 in our most vulnerable populations. Where were the governors when the disease spread like wildfire through our elder care facilities?

Jupiter said...

Let's not lose sight of the fact that the original idea here, which all the technocrats sold us using multi-colored graphs and other bright baubles, was that everyone was going to get this disease, and the only thing we could do was to spread it out over twenty or thirty years so we didn't run out of ventilators. We have now found out that the function of a ventilator is to let the hospital bill Medicare triple while the machine tortures you to death, and in any case there are plenty of the damned things. So now the explanation has morphed. Now, they never intended to flatten the curve. Curve? What curve? Who said anything about a curve?

Danno said...

Tommy Duncan said..." Am I violating stay at home when I drive alone 20 miles to my 80 acres of woods to work alone cutting firewood?"

Do you think Ann runs an advice column?

However, Danno says do what you want to do. I have driven my 91 y/o dad back to MN and returned to FL, put almost 1,200 miles over about 70 rides on my bike while letting the Vitamin D be absorbed in the Florida sun, etc.

hombre said...

“The land of the free and the home of the brave” is no more thanks largely to the mediaswine - the enemies of the people.

All is proceeding as planned by the ChiComs and the Democrats.

hombre said...

At 8:32: “The mediaswine will see that neither Fauci nor Fredo Sr. get the credit they deserve for killing people.” Fixed.

Inga said...

“But where are we required to stay home? Not here in Wisconsin. We're free to leave the house. It really irritates me to hear mainstream news and commentary speaking of a requirement to stay home. The requirement is social distancing! Maybe in New York City, you need to stay home to avoid violating the strictures of social distancing, but that's not true in most of the country. If people are leaving home to take walks or go food shopping, they're not disregarding orders.“

Yes. I don’t stay home unless there is inclement weather. All the comments from the anti social distancing contingent mischaracterizing the pro social distancing people as hunkering down in their homes, never venturing outside being overly afraid of COVID! is nothing more than the type of panicky over the top responses they charge us social distancers with. The many silly anecdotes of people being arrested for jogging, or walking, or going out on outings as a family, are such nonsense.

Inga said...

“Tommy Duncan said..." Am I violating stay at home when I drive alone 20 miles to my 80 acres of woods to work alone cutting firewood?"

Even if it were to be a violation, no one is going to arrest him or harass him.

Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...

"Percentage point change in the share of people staying home"
(Newswriter language for "Percent of people staying home")

The periods compared are:
..average day last week
..average day preceding six weeks

I notice that Loving County TX (pop. 102) is colored white. Zero change. All them citizens still stayin home? Or was it fukkit then and fukkit now?

Closer to our neck of the woods, Kenedy County TX (pop. 595) (an inaccurate characterization since there are no actual, y'know "woods," in this neck of the woods) the map shows 10 percent fewer people now staying at home.

Good to know. But what are the actual names of those people?

Here in our own County, the municipal judge has hired a temporary security guard to keep order in the courtroom and hallway. She will begin hearing 20 cases for mask and social distancing violations. We wonder at only 20. The city compliance officer reported he has written some 150-200 citations. Were the rest just warning citations? Or did they plea out and pay the fine?

- HXG

When this is all over, 5-10% of the national population will wonder why the citizens permit Government to have so much power. 90-95% will not.

Sam L. said...

"The NYT knows where you've been and who's been bad or good." They don't know me. I despise, detest, and distrust the NYT (the WaPoo and the TV news, too).

Kathy said...

Our mayor constantly tells us to stay home.

Ken B said...

I like sarcastic Althouse.

Ken B said...

Tcrosse
Elegantly said.

Chris said...

Just leave your phone at home. Join the real resistance against the Orwellian data pimps. If you want a phone for potential emergencies while out and about dig out that old flip phone buried in the desk drawer and charge it up. You can still dial 9-1-1 with it just fine.

wildswan said...

Buy a Faraday cage - it's a type of plastic bag that doesn't let signals out or in. And put your phone in it at random times including trips for fun. That way you can keep your smart phone and all the apps you use. You're just unavailable and out of sight intermittently. That's how it used to be before cell phones, anyhow.

I would say that the Republican win in California shows what people really think of extending the lockdown although the Gig law also affected the election. Anyhow it was a massive loss for the Dems who deserve it for abandoning working people in favor of identity grievances and then trying to use the pandemic fear to order people around..