GOOGLE is using location data gathered from phones to help public health officials understand how people’s movements have changed in response to the global coronavirus pandemic.

The reports use data from people who have opted in to storing their location history with Google to help illustrate the degree to which people are adhering to government instructions such as, where possible, working from home.

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The Covid-19 Community Mobility Report dated July 3, 2020, looks at data between Friday, May 22, and Friday, July 3.

Reading Chronicle:

The data shows there has been a rise in residential visits (22 per cent increase compared to baseline) and visits to parks (49 per cent increase compared to baseline).

Retail and recreation - which comprises of places such as restaurants, cafes, shopping centres and libraries - has seen a drop of 54 per cent compared to the baseline.

Similarly, public transport has seen a decrease in visits by 68 per cent compared to the baseline.

Supermarket and pharmacy visits has dropped by 17 per cent and, as people are still being encouraged to work from home, the visits to workplaces has dropped by 55 per cent compared to the baseline.

The data comes as the government announced a maximum of two different households in England are now allowed to socialise indoors or outdoors as of July 4.

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You do not always have to meet the same household but must not meet with more than one other household at the same time.

The government is still recommending maintaining a social distance and practising good hygiene whether indoors or outdoors.