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 14, looks at data between Tuesday, June 2, and Tuesday, July 14, 2020.
The data shows there has been a huge rise in the number of people visiting parks with a 114 per cent increase compared to the baseline.
Similarly, there has been a rise in visits to residential areas such as homes with a 20 per cent increase compared to the baseline.
The areas which have seen a decrease in visits include public transport (67 per cent decrease compared to baseline) and retail and recreation (43 per cent decrease compared to baseline).
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Visits to workplaces has also seen a 56 per cent drop as many people continue to work from home.
The data comes as prime minister Boris Johnson announced that as of August employers can decided whether or not to reopen offices after months of staff working from home.
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