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The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the rhythms of everyday life over the last two weeks.
The number of known cases in Delaware has grownfrom one to more than 100in that time. State officials have heightened restrictions every few days, leading to Gov. John Carney'sstay-at-home orderclosing nonessential businesses and prohibiting Delawareans from leaving home for unnecessary activities.
To illustrate the changes in our everyday lifestyles, Delaware Online/The News Journal studied Google's foot traffic data for the first day of the stay-at-home order.
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Google aggregates data from users' location history to show crowd sizes relative to average popularity over the past several weeks. The datais shown live hourly at frequented locations.
We tracked this data at a few Delaware touchstonesto show how the pandemic has affected life in Delaware.
Wawa
183 Airport Road, New Castle
With nearly 50locations fueling a cult following across Delaware, Wawa is perhaps one of the best gauges of activity in the state.
The Wawa on Airport Road near New Castle serves two main waves each weekday: the morning coffee drinkers and the lunch rush. Both groups have evaporated with many out of work and others operating remotely from home. The store's steady flow of business in off-hours has also dried up.
Wawa has no plans to shut down during Carney's stay-at-home order but haschanged some proceduresin the interest of safety. Customers can no longer pour their own coffee and soft drinks, and associates are serving bakery products.
The convenience store is considered an essential business. Many rely it on for gas andgroceries as well as coffee and snacks throughout the day.
In the charts below the blue bars indicate expected traffic based on how many people were at the location each hour on average over the last several weeks. The red bars show the amount of traffic recorded Tuesday.
Some of the charts are animated to display how the crowd size changed throughout the day. Others show specific segments of Tuesday's data to highlight major upticks or downturns.
Costco
900 Center BoulevardS., Christiana
Lines to enter Delaware's lone Costco wrapped around the building Monday afternoon. Customers waited in the rain to be greeted with signs at the store's entrance detailing restrictions on low-inventory items such as eggs and milk.
According to Google's pedestrian data, that wasn't the case on Tuesday. After a morning surge, crowds remained at or below typical levels throughout the day. The first hour of shopping, from 8 a.m.-9 a.m., was reserved for seniors.
Dover Air Force Base
442 13th St., Dover
Under a shelter-in-place order of its own, activity at the Dover Air Force Base dropped significantly Tuesday compared with a usual week.
Base personnel are required to stay in their residence unless getting food, caring for an immediate relative, participating in outdoor activities such as walking or running, or seeking necessary health care.
On a typical day, hundreds move in and out of the base. Google tracked less than half as much activity Tuesday. The base announced Tuesday night that an airman hadtested positive for the coronavirus and is in isolation.
ShopRite
1101 Governors Place, Bear
New Castle County's most popular grocery store chain is facing a new challenge: keeping its shelves stocked.
ShopRite, like many grocery store brands across the region, has been hit hard by shoppers stocking up on everything from milk to hand sanitizer.
Pedestrian data from the ShopRite in Governor's Square in Bear, one of the chain's busiest Delaware locations, illustrates a recent change in grocery shopping habits.
After its senior hour from 6 a.m.-7 a.m., the store was busier than usual throughout the morning as customers sorted through a full inventory. The store still saw business throughout the day but at a lower mark than usual in the early evening.
Chick-fil-A
4657 Ogletown Stanton Road, Stanton
The Chick-fil-A near the Christiana Hospital is almost always bustling with activity. With multiple drive-thru lines wrapping around the building, employees often direct traffic in the parking lot and take orders on tablets.
According to Google's data, the restaurant was far slower than usual Tuesday. Limited to drive-thru and takeout business, Chick-fil-A served a steady number of customers throughout the day but never had a lunch or dinner rush.
Brandywine Park
1080 N. Park Dr., Wilmington
Officials have held up state and county parks assafe places to exercise while practicing social distancing. The message seems to have resonated with the community, perhaps too much.
New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer closed playgrounds and basketball courts at county parks because too many large groups were gathering. Some amenities at state parks have also been closed including playgrounds along the Brandywine.
But the parks are still welcoming walkers, runners and bikers. Brandywine Park's peak hours shifted to the late afternoon and early evening as remote workers sneaked outside for some fresh air. By the late afternoon, the sun was shining with temperaturesin the mid- to upper 50s.
Contact Brandon Holveck at bholveck@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @holveck_brandon.
