  By the emergence of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China,
and its rapid outbreak worldwide, the infectious illness has changed our
everyday travel patterns. In this research, our team investigated the changes
in the daily mobility pattern of people during the pandemic by utilizing an
integrated data panel. To incorporate various aspects of human mobility, the
team focused on the Social Distancing Index (SDI) which was calculated based on
five basic mobility measures. The SDI patterns showed a plateau stage in the
beginning of April that lasted for about two weeks. This phenomenon then
followed by a universal decline of SDI, increased number of trips and reduction
in percentage of people staying at home. We called the observation Quarantine
Fatigue. The Rate of Change (ROC) method was employed to trace back the start
date of quarantine fatigue which was indicated to be April 15th. Our analysis
showed that despite the existence of state-to-state variations, most states
started experiencing a quarantine fatigue phenomenon during the same period.
This observation became more important by knowing that none of the states had
officially announced the reopening until late April showing that people decided
to loosen up their social distancing practices before the official reopening
announcement. Moreover, our analysis indicated that official reopening led to a
rapid decline in SDI, raising the concern of a second wave of outbreak. The
synchronized trend among states also emphasizes the importance of a more
nationwide decision-making attitude for the future as the condition of each
state depends on the nationwide behavior.
