How are NC residents passing time during coronavirus? Report shows state’s top hobby
North Carolinians can’t get enough of one hobby during the pandemic, a new report finds.
At-home workouts top the list of residents’ internet searches as coronavirus-related restrictions remain in effect statewide, according to findings released in August from Go.Frontier.
People are looking up ways to exercise after gyms across North Carolina were ordered to shut their doors to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
The state is now under Phase Two of Gov. Roy Cooper’s reopening plan, which calls for fitness centers to remain closed through at least Sept. 11. The governor is expected to announce the next phase of relaxing coronavirus-related restrictions on Tuesday, The News & Observer reported.
But the governor’s order hasn’t stopped North Carolina residents from going to fitness centers.
The state Justice Department in June said facilities could reopen to people needing gyms for medical treatment, though reopening Planet Fitness locations won’t require proof of a medical need, the N&O reported.
And in a recent survey, about 16% of North Carolina residents with gym memberships said they went to fitness centers to during the shutdowns. Still, some people report not planning to go back to their exercise facilities.
At-home workouts aren’t the only way people are spending time during the pandemic.
Across the country, online searches for video-based entertainment options have been the most popular, results show.
“Streaming movies and TV series graced the red carpet as the nation’s favorite pastime,” according to the report.
To come up with the results, Go.Frontier analyzed Google Trends for the most-searched activities “since quarantine began,” findings show.
“After narrowing it down to the top five Googled hobbies, we compared each one by state to determine which hobby came out on top,” the report said.
Go.Frontier says it’s an “online authorized reseller of Frontier Communications.”
