Factbox: Google location data shows slump in trips to malls, offices

(Reuters) – Google on Thursday published reports for 131 countries showing whether visits to shops, parks and workplaces dropped in March, when many governments issued stay-at-home orders to rein in the spread of COVID-19.

FILE PHOTO: The Google logo is pictured at the entrance to the Google offices in London, Britain January 18, 2019. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

Here is a list of countries in alphabetical order, including some of the worst hit:

Australia: Visits to retail and recreation locations, including restaurants, malls, and cinemas, fell 45%. Trips to grocery and pharmacy locations fell 19%. Visits to workplaces fell by a third. Several states have given police the power to impose hefty fines and prison terms on anybody found breaching strict social-distancing rules.

Brazil: Retail and recreation trips dropped 71%, grocery and pharmacy visits fell 35%, and visits to workplaces declined 34%. President Jair Bolsonaro has urged states to relax their strict quarantine policies, clashing with the country’s health minister, who has advised maximum social distancing.

Canada: Retail and recreation visits fell 59%. Grocery and pharmacy trips fell 35%, and those to workplaces dropped 44%.

France: Retail and recreation trips slumped 88% in the country, which has recorded roughly 59,000 cases and 5,387 deaths. The country’s broad lockdown is likely to be extended beyond April 15. Grocery and pharmacy visits declined 72%, and workplace visits fell 56%.

Germany: In Germany, where over 80,000 have been infected, retail and recreation visits fell 77%. Grocery and pharmacy trips fell 51%, and workplace visits fell 39%. The country’s social distancing measures, including school and restaurant closures, have been extended until April 19.

India: Trips to retail and recreation spots fell 77%, grocery and pharmacy visits dropped 65%, and workplace visits fell 47%. India went into a lockdown due to end April 14. With a recent spike in cases, the country’s said it will pull out of the lockdown in phases.

Indonesia: Visits to retail and recreation spots fell 47%, and grocery and pharmacy trips were down 27%, while workplace visits fell 15%. Indonesia has resisted widespread lockdowns.

Italy: Retail and recreation trips in the country, which has seen the highest number of deaths globally, plunged 94%. Grocery and pharmacy visits were down 85%, and workplace trips fell 63%. Italy has imposed severe limits on movement and shuttered all non-essential services until April 13.

Israel: Retail and recreation trips fell 67%, grocery and pharmacy visits were down 13%, and trips to workplaces dropped 59%. Israel has imposed tight curbs, confining people to their homes.

Japan: Retail and recreation trips in the country, where authorities have been relatively relaxed about social distancing, fell just 26%. Grocery and pharmacy visits slipped 7%, and trips to workplaces fell 9%.

Nigeria: Retail and recreation visits fell 39% in Nigeria, which has reported just 184 cases so far. Grocery and pharmacy visits dropped by a fourth. People going to workplaces fell 11%.

Singapore: Retail and recreation trips fell 28% in the country, which has seen a recent spike in cases. Grocery and pharmacy visits slipped 6%, and trips to workplaces fell 15%. The country imposed stricter curbs on Friday, closing schools and most workplaces.

South Korea: Retail and recreation trips fell 19%, grocery and pharmacy visits rose 11%, and workplace trips fell 12%. The country on Tuesday cancelled the re-opening of schools next week as clusters of infections flared.

Spain: Retail and recreation trips fell 94%. The country has witnessed 112,065 cases – the second-highest after the United States. Grocery and pharmacy visits slumped 76%, and workplace trips fell 64%.

United Kingdom: Retail and recreation trips slumped 85%, grocery and pharmacy visits dropped 46%, and workplace trips fell 55%. The country, which has closed public spots, has seen more than 34,718 cases, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

United States: The country has seen the most number of infections, over 245,000 people. Retail and recreation trips in the country fell 47%, grocery and pharmacy visits dropped 22%, and workplace visits fell 38%.

There was no data for China or Iran, where the number of total infected people, including the dead, crossed 132,000 together.

Reporting by Sayantani Ghosh in Singapore; Editing by Steve Orlofsky

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source: reuters.com