CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — People have been instructed to stay at home and practice social distancing in order to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Now a tech company called Unacast is grading states and counties on their social-distancing compliance.
The company collects GPS cellular data to compare communities' social-distancing activity.
According to Unacast, Texas currently has a score of C-minus.
The interactive map even breaks it down by county, giving Nueces County a grade of C-; San Patricio a D- and Kleberg County a D.
TAMU-CC's Director of the Office of Data-Science Sunil Mathur has studied epidemiology for years.
Mathur said cell-phone data such as Unacast may not be the most reliable.
While the data may help us understand social patterns and behaviors, the most reliable data comes from health experts and the CDC.
According to health and data experts, containment policies such as stay-at-home orders and social distancing are the most effective ways to slow the spread of COVID-19.
"It is necessary to have all of these policies and follow them," Mathur said. "If they don't follow, even if that person doesn't get sick, they are going to affect people nearby them."
The next several weeks are crucial when it comes to flattening the curve and slowing the spread of COVID-19.
“My strong advice is that they need to follow these policies, to make their neighborhood safe, their family safe, and community safe.” Mathur said.
