Google recently published its Community Mobility Reports containing user location data for several regions and countries, with a view to helping authorities fight the novel coronavirus pandemic. The data reveal how people have reacted to the restrictive measures in each country.

Google also responded to the coronavirus pandemic and made its aggregated Google Maps database available to authorities. The huge trove of data simply generates an aggregated regional report on the extent to which the citizens movement has changed in a given county, province or region, using the location feature of users smartphones.

The database reveals the visits to places such as grocery stores, pharmacies, parks, workplaces, public transport and residential areas or buildings. The data currently show the period from 16 February to 29 March.

Reports show, for example, that in Italy, which has been hit hard by the pandemic, residents in the northern region of Lombardy only began to significantly reduce their visits to libraries, museums, restaurants and cafés around 8 March. By then, however, the number of nationwide coronavirus cases has exceeded 7,000 and Italy s death toll has reached 366.

It s worth comparing Italy s case with Slovakia where, despite the fact that the country only had 10 registered cases of infection on 11 March, attendance at the aforementioned venues dropped almost immediately. The same was true for Hungary and Poland. Poles began to curb their outdoor activities after the 22nd registered infection, while Hungarians did the same after 30 confirmed cases of infection, around 10 days after the first patient had been detected.

Swedish statistics also make for an interesting reading, as the country applies a completely different strategy against the pandemic. Placing heightened emphasis on herd immunity, the Swedish government chose not to restrict the movements of a large part of the population. As a result, there were only miniscule changes with regard to people s presence at public spaces, even when the country already had nearly a thousand registered COVID-19 cases.

Besides, the popularity of public parks has reached unprecedented levels in Sweden, which seems to demonstrate that the country s health authorities are confident in their approach, and the citizens have trust in their government.

https://v4na.com/tudomany/a-jarvanyvedekezes-ket-nagy-modellje-38767/