University of Maryland researchers tracking summer travel say stay put

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - Some travelers are apprehensive but hitting the highways anyway despite concerns that summer travel could be contributing to a spike in coronavirus cases nationwide.

This all comes just days after Maryland Governor Larry Hogan recommended Marylanders not leave the state.

Traffic at a rest stop off southbound Interstate 95 was nonstop Friday and filled with plenty of out of state license plates ahead of the weekend.

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(Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

FOX 5’s Tisha Lewis talked with researchers at the University of Maryland who've been tracking mobile phone signals to see where people have been going during the pandemic.

Those researchers say right now:

• D.C. travelers are most often going to Md., Va., Pa., N.J. and W.Va.
• Maryland travelers are going to D.C., Va., Pa., Del., W.Va. and N.J.
• Virginia travelers are going to Md., N.C., D.C., W.Va. and Tenn.

This comes are coronavirus cases are spiking nationwide.

Some travel destinations have become hot spots including several beaches.

A few weeks ago, Loudoun County in Northern Virginia issued an alert after high schoolers across the county traveled to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for "Beach Week." When they returned home, the county notified a jump in positive coronavirus cases among young people.

RELATED: Loudoun County health officials see spike in positive COVID-19 cases in teens, young adults

A senior researcher at the University of Maryland, Aref Darzi, says everyone should STILL avoid unnecessary travel right now.

Most of the out of state travel for D.C., Maryland and Virginia is happening among D.C., Maryland and Virginia. The researchers say they aren't able to distinguish between everyday travel and vacation travel.