Room for improvement
Mobility data shows state, Lake, Porter counties not getting A’s in social distancing
Lake and Porter counties did not receive “A” grades for social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a data company, and officials in both counties stressed the importance of following medical and scientific guidelines to decrease the spread of the virus.
Unacast, a company that collects human mobility information through cellphone data, created a scoreboard “to analyze real-time data in a way that would accurately measure how effective various social distancing strategies perform in the real world,” according to its website. The data is updated daily.
The data takes into account: people inside and outside their homes, changes in average time spent in and around the home, changes in how much time people spend at home versus other places, and average distance traveled, according to the website.
On Thursday, the state of Indiana received a “C” grade, while Lake County received a “B” grade and Porter County received a “C” grade, according to the Unacast data. But, on Tuesday, both counties received a “D” score in social distancing, according to the data.
As of Friday, the state of Indiana received a “D-” for social distancing, while Lake County and Porter County both fell to a “D” grade, according to the data.
Porter County Health Department Administrator Letty Zepeda said she is “shocked” by Porter County’s grade, lightly joking that she always worked hard for A’s in school.
The Porter County Health Department has been enforcing social distancing and updating the community on the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, Zepeda said.
“That is the only way, for now, that we’ll have control over (flattening) the curve, and that’s through social distancing and personal hygiene,” Zepeda said.
The Health Department, like most of the county departments, is working with a “skeleton crew” to limit the spread of the disease, Zepeda said. Porter County residents should stay at home as much as possible during this time, she said.
“We all have to do our part,” Zepeda said.
Portage Mayor Sue Lynch said she knows people are trying to social distance themselves from others, as businesses, including government buildings, have shifted to allowing employees to work from home.
It is better to take precautions, she said.
“I assume there are people with it and they need to stay home,” Lynch said. “We need people to take this seriously.”
Lynch said when she goes out for groceries, she sees store parking lots filled with cars, which “defeats” the purpose of social distancing. Residents should consider ordering their groceries online or making a detailed grocery list to limit time inside grocery stores.
“I’m frustrated that I can’t get
people to understand the importance of flattening the bell curve,” Lynch said. “This is a world we’re not used to living in, so we need to help each other through it.”
Porter County Council President Jeremy Rivas, D-2nd, said he is “certainly not happy with a C grade,” joking that he wouldn’t be pleased with his children receiving C’s in school, either.
“There’s obviously room for improvement,” Rivas said.
Rivas said in the last two weeks he has seen fewer people in grocery stores and traffic in the area has decreased. He predicted that the county will receive an “A” by the time Indiana reaches its peak in cases, which will likely be in two weeks some disease models show.
Rex Richards, president of the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce, said many local businesses that have been listed as “non-essential” are closed and that most businesses have found ways to operate online.
Given that most businesses are closed or having their staff work from home, Richards said he was surprised by the “C” grade for Porter County. But, Northwest Indiana sees heavy transportation between Chicago, Fort Wayne and Cleveland, he said.
“Commercial transportation is are moving through the area, but they are bringing food and important supplies that people need while they are at home,” Richards said.
Lake County Health Department Health Officer Chandana Vavilala said that residents should be maintaining a distance of 6 feet away from others, per CDC guidelines.
Given that Lake County is the third largest county in Indiana with many residents traveling to essential jobs as far as Chicago, Vavilala said she wasn’t too surprised that Lake County hasn’t yet received a perfect score.
“We have a significant number (of residents) that live here and work in Chicago,” Vavilala said.
But, Vavilala said she has seen local non-essential businesses still open and residents out of their homes for non-essential purposes. Residents should follow Gov. Eric Holcomb’s stay-at-home order, she said.
“There are things that are still happening. It’s difficult for government to police (social distancing). It comes down to individuals,” Vavilala said.
Lake County Commissioner Michael Repay, DHammond, said that Indiana is known as the crossroads of America, which means essential employees are still traveling through the state.
The few times he has been out to check on family or get essential items, Repay said he has “seen more (people) than expected” moving through the county.
Repay said he has been abiding to social distancing by working on his backyard and watching old episodes of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” with his daughter.
“We need to keep our minds occupied and productive and take care of out mental health,” Repay said.
Lake County Council President Ted Bilski, DHobart, said “it doesn’t seem fair to compare” Lake County to other counties in the state because there are many essential industries, like steel and the oil refineries, still operating in Northwest Indiana during the pandemic.
Bilski said that residents, even essential workers at work and home, should maintain social distance and stay home when possible.
“The message is stay home. This is going to get worse before it gets better,” Bilski said.
Tracking mobility to measure the success of social distancing is an interesting concept and tool because it will show the country how well it’s doing to decrease the spread of COVID-19, Bilski said.