Up until a few weeks ago, Social Distancing was a term most of us had not heard of before (we see you introverts) 

 

But now, more than ever, the art of deliberately increasing the physical space between people, is a crucial step to take in order to help stop the spread of COVID-19 / Coronavirus.  It is recomended that staying at least six feet away from other people can lessen your chances of catching COVID-19.

 

Relatives visit a family member in a nursing home through a window due to social distnacing

 

We are seeing this happening all over - in Maryland, non essential businesses have been ordered to close, restaurants and bars are only offering carry out and delivery food and drink orders, and stores that are open, like grocery and hardware stores, are taping X's on their floors to show where customers should stand while waiting in line.  

 

And now websites like Facebook, Google, and Instagram are taking their users data to show how well they are (and aren't) practicing social distancing.  

 

And just this week - a company called Unacast has taken the data to creat a “Social Distancing Scoreboard” giving grades on a national, state, and county level.  

 

 

According to the World Health Organization and the CDC, social distancing is currently the most effective way to slow the spread of COVID-19. We created this interactive Scoreboard, updated daily, to empower organizations to measure and understand the efficacy of social distancing initiatives at the local level.

 

 

Locally, Maryland has received an A (the national average is a B) with Montgomery, Carroll, Calvert, Anne Arundel, and Baltimore Counties leading the way

 

Social distancing scorecard for Maryland. (Unacast)

 

Nationwide - Washington DC, Alaska, Nevada, New Jersey, and Rhode Islnad score the best with Oregon, New Mexico, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming getting the worst scores. 

 

Social distancing scorecard for the United States. (Unacast)

 

You can take a deep dive into the data at Unacast's website HERE