Florida citizens started practicing social distancing weeks before Ron DeSantis issued official orders

Despite the fact that Florida governor Ron DeSantis issued stay-at-home orders much later than other states, the state has kept the coronavirus relatively in check. According to data from the Tampa Bay Times, the reason could be that Florida citizens took it upon themselves to stop going out despite the fact that they hadn't been officially ordered to.

"...the Times analyzed cell phone tracking data collected by three companies that paints a vivid picture of how Floridians reacted during the outbreak’s early days. Fifteen experts reviewed the work and shared their observations. The analysis indicates that while Florida’s politicians debated beach closings and stay-at-home orders, residents took matters into their own hands," the Tampa Bay Times reports.

As each county shut down, the social activity of citizens had already greatly decreased.

Read the full report over at The Tampa Bay Times.