When it comes to social distancing, Minnesota gets an A.
The tech company Unacast analyzed GPS location data from millions of smartphones to track changes in average distances traveled before and after the coronavirus pandemic hit to determine how well residents were adhering to social distancing practices.
The company created a Social Distancing Scoreboard and gave A's to states and counties that showed a 40% or greater decrease in average distance traveled compared to pre-COVID-19 levels. Those that showed movement declines of 10% or less received an F.
Overall, Minnesota saw a 46% drop in average distance traveled, according to the scoreboard.
The top four ranked states that also got A grades were Alaska, Nevada, New Jersey and Rhode Island (plus Washington, D.C.). In the bottom five were Oregon, New Mexico, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. Overall, the country earned a B, the data showed.
In Minnesota, Red Lake County in the northwestern part of the state led the way with a 70% reduction in average distance traveled. Swift, Norman, Washington and Carver counties rounded out the five counties with the biggest declines.
Three counties — Traverse, Lake of the Woods and Cook — received grades of "F," the state's lowest marks.
Cook County got an F because there has been no reduction in the average distance traveled. Neighborhing Lake County got a D with a 16% decline.
