Virus World

Google Maps will soon show how prevalent coronavirus is in geographic areas with a new color-coded update. Beginning this week, the Maps app will display seven-day averages of new Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people. The chosen areas will show if cases are increasing or decreasing and be shaded with one of six colors to signify how many new cases were reported. 

In a blog post. Google said the tool shows "critical information about Covid-19 cases in an area so you can make more informed decisions about where to go and what to do." Google is pulling data from three sources: Johns Hopkins University, the New York Times, and Wikipedia. They receive their data from the World Health Organization and other public or government health organizations. Information is available for all 220 countries that Google Maps works in. The feature will soon be available on iOS and Android versions of Google Maps. To use it, open the app, press the layers button (two squares on top of each other) on the top right and press "Covid-19 Info" button. That will reveal the color-coded app showing case counts. This week's update is just the latest for the ever-evolving app. Last month, it rolled out a colorful and more detailed redesign that aims to help people more easily distinguish different types of terrain. Google Maps also placed a greater emphasis on discovery and recommendations, along with a new logo, in a February update to celebrate its 15th birthday.

Google has added several Covid-19-related features and alerts to its Maps app for iOS and Android. Traveling during the pandemic can be tough. That's why the latest version of Google Maps for Android and iOS has several features that might help travelers get around safely. Now, when you look up public transit directions, Maps will show COVID-19-related alerts. Google points out that data will only be available where it can get info from the local transit agencies, and only on trips that are likely to be affected by COVID-19 restrictions. These alerts are rolling out in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, France, India, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, and the U.S., and Google says they're coming to more countries "soon." 

Maps will also display alerts when you navigate to medical facilities or COVID-19 testing centers, warning you to "verify eligibility and facility guidelines to avoid being turned away or causing additional strain on the local healthcare system." Alerts for medical facilities are rolling this week in Indonesia, Israel, the Philippines, South Korea, and the U.S. Alerts for testing centers will only be available in the U.S. Again, Google says it will only show these alerts when it can get "authoritative data from local, state and federal governments or from their websites." Google says the app will also tell you how crowded buses, subways, and transit stations will be. Plus, you'll be able to see when a transit station has historically been less busy so you can plan ahead. Google says these features are powered by aggregated and anonymized data from users who opt in to Google Location History. They'll be rolling out in the "next several weeks."

Finally, the app will show you driving alerts, notifying you about COVID-19 checkpoints and restrictions along your route — for example, when crossing national borders. This feature will initially only be available in Canada, Mexico and the U.S.