GOOGLE SHED LIGHT ON THE LOCKDOWN

WEB GIANT’S LOCATION TRACKING DATA SHOWS HOW OUR COUNTY HAS SHUT ITSELF DOWN

SWATHES of new data released by Google have revealed the impact of the Coronvirus lockdown on day to day life, and the level of compliance with social-distancing rules in Kerry.

After a surge when schools first closed, visits to parks and beaches have plunged; half of Kerry’s work places are empty, and even grocery shops are feeling the heat, though they are one of the few businesses allowed to keep trading.

The internet search giant collected the data from smartphones using its Maps application and Location Tracker systems to compare footfall and activity in millions of locations worldwide before and after the global spread of COVID-19.

Amid privacy concerns about its latest move, Google said that all the data used was anonymised and was only taken from smart phones with their ‘location history’ setting switched on.

The firm said the initiative is aimed at assisting actions to combat the spread of COVID-19.

The Google’s Community Mobility Study demonstrates how the number of visits and the length of peoples’ stay at various places have changed, compared to the first few weeks of the year.

Using February 16 to provide its baseline figures – a few days before details of the initial outbreak in northern Italy began to emerge – the Google study shows the enormous impact the virus and lock-down have had on movement and activity across Europe, Ireland and Kerry.

Though it won’t surprise anyone that has been outside the house to shop or take exercise in the last week, the study shows that the number of people in retail businesses or retail zones in Kerry (ie town centres) plunged by 83 per cent between mid February and March 29.

Parks, beaches and other outdoor attractions have also seen a dramatic falloff in visitors as more stringent restrictions were brought in to tackle the spread of COVID-19.

In the weeks after schools and colleges were closed, visits to parks and beaches in Kerry were up about 40 per cent on the baseline figure.

However since new social distancing rules were brought in over a week ago, the number of people visiting such areas has plummeted by 80 per cent from the February 16 baseline figure.

That represents a 120-per-cent downward swing from the peak in mid-February and suggests the public are taking the Government’s ‘stay at home’ message on board.

Travel internally in Kerry is also at a standstill, with the figures showing that the number of people passing through bus and train stations in the count has fallen by 76 per cent since the onset of the Coronavirus crisis.

Most workplaces are also lying idle, with the Google data showing a 52-per-cent drop in the number of people tracked in premises typically classed as ‘workplaces.”

It should also be noted that supermarkets and pharmacies are likely also feeling the financial heat from the lock-down.

Though they are among the only businesses allowed to keep trading, the Google study shows that footfall in supermarkets and pharmacy outlets is still down 44 per cent on the levels recorded, pre-crisis, in mid- to late-February.