Coronavirus ‘quarantine fatigue’ spreads in US as lockdown protests grow and more people break social distancing rules
"QUARANTINE fatigue" is spreading across the nation almost as fast as the killer coronavirus that led to lockdowns in the first place.
But experts are worried that as while the shutdown pummels the economy, eventual complacency with social distancing may result in a deadly second wave of the virus.
cited a study by the Maryland Transportation Institute at the University of Maryland (UMB) which showed more people are making outdoor trips.
A number of angry protests and also paint a picture of a public increasingly frustrated with the rules. But officials say those same rules have been implemented to safeguard the very people it appears to be annoying.
After a , a goose called "Goosey" was spotted casually crossing a busy crosswalk with its owners in downtown Huntington Beach, California Sunday.
Elsewhere, Texas cops were forced to cuff a man when he ran onto Galveston Beach after he repeatedly walked onto Seawall Boulevard and disrupted vehicle traffic, bystanders said today.
A creative bicyclist, meanwhile, was photographed wearing a mask -- a full-face animal mask -- at the Marina Green in San Francisco. In San Diego protesters were demanding lockdown be lifted.
The UMB study found more of these outside excursions are expected to rise - despite some 978,000 - as states slowly begin reopening.
Their research tracked more than 100 million people a month using their smartphone data.
The study saw six weeks of the staying-home percentage increasing or flattening until April 17.
On that day, the stay-home numbers dropped from 33 percent to 31 percent, according to the report.
Lead Researcher Lei Zhang said this is statistically significant because the sample size is so large.
Zhang told WaPo: “We saw something we hoped wasn’t happening, but it’s there.
"It seems collectively we’re getting a little tired. It looks like people are loosening up on their own to travel more.”
Dr. Wilbur Chen, an Associate Professor at UMB's School of Medicine, said this may not indicate an ongoing trend as the coronavirus in the US.
"If people are out and about, there’s more risk of transmission, and when there’s transmission, you have more cases of hospitalizations and deaths,” he told the newspaper.
The measures have prompted mass protests across the nation as Americans demand businesses to reopen amid layoffs, closures and .
In Seattle, angry fisherman participated in a "Let Us Fish" protest which saw them sail from Lake Washington to Lake Union today.
Protestors also demonstrate against new safer-at-home orders during the "End the Lockdown Now" rally at the Colorado Capital in Denver, , after multiple rallies in other states including , and Ohio.
MOST READ IN NEWS
When was asked about the large crowds gathering despite the dangerous spread of the virus, he said they seemed like
Afterwards, the president appeared to endorse the rule breakers by urging governors in , and to "liberate" residents.
However, Trump cautioned Georgia Governor Brian Kemp was reopening too quickly as non essential businesses were set to reopen.