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Cell phone data shows fewer Idahoans are staying close to home as the coronavirus pandemic continues

The University of Maryland tracked phone data and found about 26% of Idahoans are staying to close to home, down from 40% when the stay at home order was issued.

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BOISE, Idaho — The coronavirus pandemic has introduced new buzz words to our collective lexicon, like social distancing and the new normal. Quarantine fatigue may be added next to that list as cell phone data shows more people are venturing outside and away from home as the pandemic continues.

More people may be loosening up on the lockdown and leaving their homes because of its been 35 days or it is sunny and 75-degrees out in the Treasure Valley.

Whatever the reason may be, a study by the University of Maryland shows that quarantine fatigue may be a real thing. Researchers there have been tracking the movements of people through cell phone data and found that more people in Idaho are not staying close to home (researchers counted anything less than a mile away from a person's residence as close to home) as much as they did when the stay at home order was first issued by Gov. Brad Little.

When Gov. LIttle first issued the order, about 26% of Idahoans who were tracked stayed close to home. Four days later was the best day of Idahoans staying home, with about 40% staying close to home. That number stayed around 30% for the coming days after that, which was the state's best stretch.

Last week, which was four weeks into the stay at home order, only 26% of Idahoans tracked stayed close to home.

That data was backed up by traffic numbers from the Idaho Department of Transportation. During the state's best stretch of staying home, ITD saw a 50% drop on Boise's most traveled roads. Last week, it was only about a 30% drop from the average.

RELATED: Harvard study: Idaho is one of 19 states that is testing enough to reopen the economy by May 1

RELATED: Idaho Shakespeare Festival facing likely delays due to health and safety concerns

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