Chicago using cellphone location data to track residents' movements during stay-at-home order

A Chicago health official announced Wednesday that the city has been working with a company called “BlueDot” to gather anonymous location data from residents' cellphones and mobile devices to track their movements during the coronavirus pandemic and Illinois' stay-at-home order.

Dr. Allison Arwady, who is the commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, says the anonymous data is collected when cellphone users allow apps to track their location.

"It pulls together anonymous location data from thousands of apps on mobile devices. In no way is there any individual data or personal data collected. We don't have it. We don't use it. But at a community level, we're actually able to use this to see how much are cellphones and other mobile devices across Chicago staying home," Dr. Arwady said.

Data that’s been gathered has revealed that in February and early March, Chicagoans' cellphones were at home approximately 59 to 63 percent of the time. Now in April, residents’ phones have been home, on average, nearly 80 percent of the time.

"I really want to thank Chicago because this kind of real change in your life is why we are seeing some of that curve flattening. That curve flattening in turn is why we've been able to protect our healthcare system," Dr. Arwady said. "We will be putting this [anonymous location data] on the website for you to see the same data that we're seing. As we look ahead to make the big decisions, obviously in conjunction with the state, we want to be transparent with you and show that we really are using science as much as we're able to with a lot of partners, to make these diffcult decisons. So this is a thank you, and we're not done."

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Also on Wednesday, health officials announced the death toll from COVID-19 in Illinois is nearing 1,000, with infected cases statewide currently at 24,593.

Early Monday afternoon, Mayor Lightfoot said she believes the stay-at-home order issued by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker will extend past April 30 and into May.

“I think that’s going to be difficult for us to say April 30th everything [opens] up. I don’t expect that to happen. I think it will extend beyond that. And we are already in the process of thinking about even when we get to a point where we feel safe from a public health standpoint, what would be the sequencing of lifting that [stay-a-home order?] That’s a conversation of course we need to have with the governor and his team,” Lightfoot said.

Governor Pritzker said Sunday that he and his staff are working on figuring out when and how things will open back up, and when people will get back to work.

"The last thing we want is to open things up and have a big spike in infections," he said.

Pritzker said the state has set up a way to get in touch with a mental health professional if the COVID-19 pandemic is causing you anxiety. Just text "TALK" (or "HABLAR" for Spanish assistance) to 552020. You can also text the words "UNEMPLOYMENT," "FOOD" or SHELTER" to the same number for assistance.

The state is also launching a remote care program for COVID-19 patients whose symptoms are not severe. Healthcare workers will connect digitally with patients on a daily basis. And, depending on the severity of the situation, the state might provide kits with blood pressure cuffs and thermometers.

Social distancing efforts have been making a difference in slowing the spread of the coronavirus.

Across the country, there have been more than 580,000 confirmed cases with at least 23,000 dead.

The director of the CDC says infection rates are stabilizing and that some areas of the country might be able to open within the next few weeks.

"I think we've really stabilized across the country. We’re still seeing a small rate of increase, you know, in the range of 5 to 6 percent, as opposed to where we were before, when it was 20, 30 percent per day. But we're close. We’re stabilized and anticipate that we'll begin to see a decline in the days ahead, but we gotta just continue to take it day by day, and look at the data,” said CDC Director Robert Redfield.

Redfield says, however, that even in areas of the country that are opened up eventually, mitigation efforts and widespread testing will have to continue.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and death.

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For more information on the anonymous cellphone tracking data, visit chicago.gov/coronavirus