Amid COVID-19 Outbreak Iranians Canceled Nowruz Trips
Millions of Iranians have been hunkering down to weather the novel coronavirus pandemic. This affected the number of intercity trips made during Nowruz holiday in Iran. Data gathered by Neshan, the leading maps and navigation app in the country, indicates a sharp year-on-year fall.
Google has been releasing Community Mobility Reports for more than 130 countries which are aimed at providing insights into what has changed in response to policies aimed at combating COVID-19.
The Google’s reports do not cover Iran, therefore we at Neshan took it upon ourselves to employ our first-hand insight into local developments and release a similar report based on data gathered from our app’s over 4 million users.Google’s reports chart movement trends over time by location, across different categories of places such as retail and recreation, groceries and pharmacies, parks, public transit stations, workplaces, and residential. Following the example of the tech giant, we analyzed the number of intra-city trips made by our users based on different types of destination.
A complete version of this mobility report is available in Persian. Receive a PDF copy: https://neshan.org/iran-covid-19-nowruz-traffic-report.pdf
Nowruz, the Persian New Year, is the main extended holiday season in Iran. Schools and businesses are closed for almost two weeks — starting on March 20 — and many families hit the roads to meet friends and relatives.
Iran is among the countries hardest hit by the novel coronavirus. As of April 13, the viral disease had infected 73,303 people in Iran while claiming 4,585 lives. To limit the spread of the COVID-19, the Iranian government introduced travel curbs and encouraged people to stay at home.The data shows the number of trips made from a week before, until one week after Nowruz holiday plunged by 71% compared to a year earlier.
According to Nowruz holiday in Iran,Neshan also has analyzed data from its over 4 million users between March 13 and April 16. The analysis indicates a sharp fall in the number of trips made during the period compared to a year earlier.
Trips were also categorized based on main travel routes and were compared to the number of trips made via the most traversed freeways with data from the previous year.
Neshan’s CEO Javad Amel says, “The report is hoped to help authorities and local-governments implement more effective measures for curbing COVID-19 spread.”
We have also released a special update 3 weeks ago that allows Neshan users monitor crowded and heavy pedestrian traffic areas in Iran. The real-time data helps people evade crowded areas. Citizens can also employ the information to evade these areas. According to healthcare experts, evading crowds can help slash the risk of contracting COVID-19.
User Privacy note: Users do not need to sign up for employing services offered by Neshan. The gathered data was anonymous. Neshan does not have access to users’ personal information.
