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A large number of Americans have been under partial or full stay-at-home orders for the last month while the coronavirus epidemic impacted the healthcare system and the US economy. Point to be noted that cell phone data has shown more Americans are on the move again as parts of the country relax social distancing measures. Travel plummeted starting as early as March and people in major cities avoided mass transit to prevent spreading the novel virus. Apple’s Mobility Trends Report tracked movement around the world since the early stages of Covid-19 on 13 January. The report has indicated Americans are walking and driving more in recent days.

The chart tracked movement since January and shows a slight uptake in walking and driving while using public transport has remained consistently low since mid-March. The slight uptake was charted only this past week and shows how people in the US are starting to relax social distancing measures more as areas experience a decline in hospitalization and death rates from the coronavirus. It also says public transport was down in the US by 75%, compared to the January and February baseline. Moreover, driving was just down 27% and walking was down 40%, showing a slight increase from earlier in April. New York City had an 86% decrease in transit, a 65% decrease in walking, and a 42% decrease in driving.

It is noteworthy that the beginning of uptake in travel could continue as multiple states including Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, and South Carolina work to reopen parts of their economies. Apple compiled the data using the Apple Maps’ tool to measure how people travel when carrying their cell phones. The tech giant assured users the data was anonymous and aggregated to uphold privacy. Apple wrote in a statement and said, “Maps don’t associate mobility data with a user’s Apple ID, and Apple doesn’t keep a history of where a user has been. Using aggregated data collected from Apple Maps, the new website indicates mobility trends for major cities and 63 countries or regions.”