Park Contrast: How COVID-19 Has Impacted Park Mobility Around the World

Google’s community mobility reports reflect the actions that people and governments are taking to combat the coronavirus

The new coronavirus, which causes the respiratory disease known as COVID-19, was first confirmed in the UK at the end of January, and has continued to see a surge in the number of cases and deaths ever since. As of 9 a.m. on April 8, 282,074 tests have concluded across the UK testing for the virus — 60,733 people have tested positive so far, with a total of 7,097 deaths in the country.

With the global death toll exceeding 88,000, various countries across the world continue to be impacted by the virus in more ways than we can count, with different forms of restrictions and lockdowns placed on the public.

The UK was placed under a three-week lockdown on March 23 when Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that “the time has now come for us to do more — you must stay at home.” Following this announcement, mobility rates around the country have dropped, with parks seeing a negative rate of 52% since COVID-19 hit the UK.

Similarly, other countries around the globe are implementing extreme measures against the Coronavirus as well, with one third of the global population under lockdown. This includes European countries like Italy, Spain, Germany, and many more around the world.