NASHVILLE – While Hamilton Countians and fellow Tennesseans began curbing their movements in the days since the state’s first coronavirus case appeared here on March 10, a recent jump in travel across many areas of the state helped convince Gov. Bill Lee last week to finally issue a stay-at-home order.
The Republican governor, who for days had resisted pleas from physicians and others to issue a stricter decree, cited mobility data from Unacast, a high-tech firm that bases its estimates on cell phone data. And Lee also cited Tennessee Department of Transportation monitoring stations around the state, especially in urban areas.
Unacast’s “Social Distancing Scoreboard” last Sunday slapped Tennessee and Hamilton County with letter “D” grades because of a rise in both “average mobility” and “non-essential visits.”
The travel activity “D” grade meant that both the state and county had less than a 40% decrease in average mobility and less than a 60% decrease in non-essential visits.
Alarmed over the trends, Lee announced Thursday, April 1, that he was replacing his “safer at home” order with the stricter “stay in place” directive.