Google Maps will now inform users about COVID-affected areas

New Delhi, 24-Sep-2020

Google Maps will now let users know about COVID-affected areas. The new feature will show the number of COVID cases in an area that will help the users decide whether to take that route or not. With the pandemic refusing to slow down, this feature by Google will at least inform users about how many cases are there in a particular area. �This week, we�re introducing the COVID layer in Maps, a tool that 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,� Sujoy Banerjee, Product Manager, Google Maps said in a blog. Google said that the data for the COVID layer is derived from multiple authoritative sources, John Hopkins, the New York Times, and Wikipedia. �These sources get data from public health organizations like the World Health Organization, government health ministries, along with state and local health agencies and hospitals. Many of these sources already power COVID case information in Search, and we�re now expanding this data to Google Maps,� the blog read.

Here is how the COVID layer feature works
===================================
1. User can see the number of COVID patients in an area by tapping on the layers button on the top right and click in the COVID info.

2. Upon tapping on the COVID Info settings, you will �see a seven-day average of new COVID cases per 100,000 people for the area of the map you�re looking at, and a label that indicates whether the cases are trending up or down.�

3. There is also a color-coding option that will help users distinguish how many COVID cases are there in an area. �Trending case data is visible at the country level for all 220 countries and territories that Google Maps supports, along with state or province, county, and city-level data where available,� Google said in a blog.

Google has said that the feature will be rolled out for Android and iOS users this week. Earlier, Google had earlier rolled out a new feature that would help users COVID-19 test centers around them. The company said that now users can search COVID-19 testing centers on Google Search, Google Assistant, and Google Maps. Google has joined hands with the Indian Council of Medical Research and MyGov to provide the details of authorized testing labs to users. The feature is available in English and other regional languages including Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, and Gujarati.