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Social distancing grading: Wisconsin, Milwaukee receive C grade in social distancing

Posted at 9:36 AM, Mar 30, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-30 10:36:48-04

WISCONSIN — A new study shows that Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin may not be doing all that well at social distancing.

Unacast recently launched a study that looks at social distancing across the country and how we are doing. Wisconsin isn't doing great but we could be doing worse.

This new study looks at change in average distance traveled as its main metric. They're looking at how much less travel is happening around us since coronavirus hit our state.

According to Unacast, "the metric captures how people adapt their everyday behavior in a few significant areas." These areas include switching to a home office, avoiding non-essential trips, and canceling travels.

States like New York and California are doing relatively well. New York has an overall grade of an A, while California is close behind with a B.

Wisconsin, however, sits at a C like many other states. Surrounding states like Minnesota and Illinois also have a C grade, while states like North Dakota, Montana, and Idaho have been given an F grade.

Since this all began, Wisconsin has seen a 21% drop in average distance traveled. While this is an improvement, it is nothing compared to California's 30%, or New York's 41%.

Each state is also broken down by county. In Wisconsin, the county doing the least social distancing is Rock County. The best, however, is Menominee County which has an A grade.

Milwaukee sits right in the middle with a C, same as the overall state. If you're like us, then you like a good grade, so to help improve our score, please stay home. For the health of everyone around you, don't leave if you don't have to.

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