Google Maps: Will provide updates on travel restrictions due to coronavirus

Η Google adds functions to Google Maps to inform users about travel and travel restrictions due Covid-19, in order to be able to better plan their trips, the company announced on Monday.

ΤThis update will allow, among other things, users to check for stations and public transport movements. These updates (transit alerts) will be available at Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, France, India, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, where there is information from the local authorities, and is expected to follow in other countries. There will also be driver updates, checkpoints for Covid-19 and restrictions on the route, such as crossing the border.

Navigations involving medical facilities or test centers for Covid-19 will display reminder updates on the suitability and operating rules of the facility so that users are not expelled or "avoids putting more strain on the local health system».

Such medical facility updates will be available for Indonesia, Israel, the Philippines, South Korea and the US, while test facility updates will be available for the US. As stressed by Google, alerts of this type will be displayed where there is reliable information from local, state and federal authorities or from their websites.

At the same time, Google Maps will facilitate the process of updating for overcrowded forecasts on buses or trains that appeared last year. These forecasts help passengers see how crowded there will be on a bus or train, and now Google makes it easier for users to submit information to improve / enhance service. Features with new information on factors such as temperature, accessibility and safety in transport will also be available internationally, with an emphasis on the needs of people in wheelchairs.

With regard to social distance measures, it is emphasized that users will now be able to see when a station tends to have more traffic and congestion, so that they can plan their movements based on the usual levels of activity observed. These features will be enhanced in the coming weeks with anonymous data from users who have chosen to have the Google Location History.

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