By Heart of Illinois ABC
TAZEWELL COUNTY – A social distancing scoreboard compiled from data gathered through GPS location is ranking most of central Illinois at an A or B.
Unacast, a Norwegian-based tech company, developed the interactive dashboard to “help raise awareness and reinforce the importance of social distancing” during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, according to its website.
Gov. JB Pritzker put in place the stay-at-home order for all of Illinois on March 21 due to the coronavirus outbreak and social distancing has been one of the top efforts by health officials at all levels to reduce the spread of the virus. Pritzker’s order is scheduled to be lifted on April 7.
Unacast uses the data collected to rank states and counties by the reduction in distance traveled. Locations with an A scoring have reduced travel by over 40%; B scores, 30-40%; C scores, 20-30%; D scores, 10-20%; and F scores, 10%.
As of Wednesday, March 25, the map is placing Peoria County at a B with a nearly 39% decrease in average distance traveled from February 28 through March 21.
Tazewell earned an A with a 44% reduction in travel.
Woodford County is also at an A with a 46% reduction and McLean County is at a B score with a 39% reduction.
Overall, Illinois is at an A with 40% reduction, while the United States overall sits at a B.
The top performing states include the District of Columbia, Alaska, Nevada, New Jersey, and Rhode Island, all with an A rating.
The worst performing states include Oregon, C; New Mexico, C; Idaho, D; Montana, D; and Wyoming, F.
The map is created through GPS data to track mobility rates, but does not “identify any individual person, device , or household,” the company stated in regards to its privacy policy.
For more on Unacast’s data collection and privacy policy, click here.
Heart of Illinois ABC can be reached at [email protected].
