Illustration by Giacomo Gambineri
Couch potatoes
Atlantans, like the rest of the country, are staring at their screens. According to Comcast, game downloads and streaming usage each increased 35 percent from March 1 to May 1.
Illustration by Giacomo Gambineri
Best buddies
Number of fosters and adoptions at Fulton and DeKalb animal services and Lifeline’s Decatur location:
March 2019: 233,573
March 2020: 792,813
Traffic
40 Percent
drop in congestion on state roads and interstates during mid-March to early May
0
change in freight traffic in April, compared to the previous year
Traffic fatalities on Georgia roads
April 2019: 117
April 2020: 84
Accidents on Georgia roads
April 2019: 40,212
April 2020: 17,310*
*State officials note that many police departments stopped reporting accidents with minimal damage and no injuries during the pandemic.
Trains and buses
75 Percent
reduction in MARTA rail ridership during the first month of shelter-in-place
140
approximate number of drivers of MARTA Mobility, the system’s paratransit agency, who were furloughed
Something in the air
Despite fewer cars on the road, air quality in metro Atlanta didn’t change greatly. In fact, the daily air-quality index for metro Atlanta was worse this year compared to the same day last year 19 times.
Illustration by Giacomo Gambineri
Love the one you’re with
Because courts were closed, April saw roughly 50 percent fewer divorce case filings than April 2019.
Government
$420 million
Amount of federal cash that D.C. officials will send Atlanta to offset city and airport funding shortfalls
$3.6 billion
Amount state agencies were told to cut by Governor Brian Kemp after coronavirus paralyzed the economy
Safe and sound
Reduction in crime in April compared to the same period as last year:
Overall crime: 26 percent
Violent crime: 13 percent
Property crime: 29 percent
Atlanta Fire and Rescue EMS calls
April 2019: 5,108
April 2020: 3,436
Domestic violence cases answered by the Atlanta Police Department increased by 87 percent in March, the first month of shelter-in-place, compared to March 2019.
Sources: Love the one you’re with: Fulton County Superior Court; Traffic: Georgia Department of Transportation; Best buddies: Lifeline Animal Project; Trains and buses: Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Something in the air: Georgia Environmental Protection Division; Government: AJC; Couch potatoes: Comcast
This article appears in our July 2020 issue.
