Google Maps has announced a new feature on its app that will alert users about Covid-19 related travel restrictions. This will help all users know about containment zones, social distancing norms & the density of people in a particular location. Here’s everything you need to know.
Google Maps Introduces New Feature
In a recent blog release by Google Maps by Ramesh Nagarajan Product Management Director, Google Maps it was mentioned that, “In our latest release of Google Maps on Android and iOS, we’re introducing features to help you easily find important information if you need to venture out, whether it’s by car or public transportation. ”
He added that, “When you look up public transit directions for a trip that is likely to be affected by COVID-19 restrictions, we’ll show relevant alerts from local transit agencies. These alerts can help you prepare accordingly if government mandates impact transit services or require you to wear a mask on public transportation.”
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This feature will released in plenty of countries, including India. The other countries to get the feature will be Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, France, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom and the US.
Following will be the highlights of the new feature:
1. Relevant alerts from local transit agencies of an area that is likely to be affected by COVID-19 restrictions
2. Reminder to wear a mask on public transportation
3. Alerts on government mandates that may impact transit services
4. Driving alerts to notify you about COVID-19 checkpoints and restrictions along the route
5. Crowdedness predictions for public transit in Google Maps
6. Temperature, accessibility and security onboard, as well as designated women’s sections in regions where transit systems have them
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Nagarajan said, “Starting today, you can easily see the times when a transit station is historically more or less busy to plan your trip accordingly or you can look at live data showing how busy it is right now compared to its usual level of activity. Simply search for a station in Google Maps or tap on the station on the map to see the departure board and busyness data, where available. Rolling out over the next several weeks, these capabilities are powered by aggregated and anonymized data from users who have opted in to Google Location History, a Google account-level setting that is off by default. To protect privacy, these insights are only surfaced when we have sufficient data to meet privacy thresholds.”