60,000 flocked to Georgia after it reopened, phone data show. Where’d they come from?
Tens of thousands of out-of-state travelers saw Georgia’s reopening as an invitation to visit, according to an analysis of cellphone location data.
A week after the Peach State allowed hair salons, barbershops and other businesses to turn on their welcome signs, a staggering 62,440 additional visitors flocked there daily in hopes of patronizing businesses still shuttered in their home states due to the coronavirus.
The data, reported by University of Maryland researchers, reveals that the bulk of out-of-towners came from surrounding states including Florida, Alabama and South Carolina.
“It’s exactly the kind of effect we’ve been worried about,” Meagan Fitzpatrick, an assistant professor with UMD’s School of Medicine, told The Washington Post after reviewing the findings. “This isn’t an unpredictable outcome with businesses opening in one location and people going to seek services there.”
On April 24, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp gave the go ahead for certain businesses to reopen, including gyms, spas, tattoo parlors and others. Restaurants have also resumed dine-in services, but under strict limitations to continue proper social distancing.
A week after reopening, the daily average of total out-of-state trips to Georgia surged to 546,159, according to anonymized location data used by researchers to measure the trips. That’s 62,440 more — or a 13 percent jump in daily trips from the week before.
The states with the highest number of out-of-state trips to Georgia were Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida and Tennessee, the data show.
Like Georgia, a number of southern states have begun allowing nonessential businesses to reopen amid the pandemic. Retailers in Alabama received the green light to reopen in late April, allowing clothing, jewelry and home-furnishing stores to operate at no more than 50% capacity, the Montgomery Advertiser reported. However, Georgia remains one of the only states to allow dine-in restaurants and event venues such as movie theaters to reopen.
UMD researchers reported the largest travel increase — a 17% spike — to Georgia from Florida, where many nonessential businesses remain closed.
“I don’t think all of them were going to the barbershop,” lead researcher Lei Zhang told The Washington Post. “But it seems people are traveling there for things they can’t do, or for businesses that aren’t open, in their own state.”
It’s unclear where in Georgia visitors traveled, Zhang told the newspaper, though he predicts that most of the trips weren’t work-related.
UMD researchers said the findings only solidify fears that reopening some state economies has the potential to worsen and possibly prolong the COVID-19 crisis. As of May 7, there were more than 1.2 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. and over 75,400 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The Peach State has continued to see new cases amid reopening efforts, and data from the state Department of Public Health show that, as of May 7, over 31,500 residents have been infected with the virus.
Kemp provided an update on the state’s COVID-19 response at a Thursday afternoon news conference, saying he was most proud to see “record highs in (coronavirus) testing.”
“While I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished, there’s more that we can do to fully utilize our potential and enhance our health outcomes,” the governor added.