Google report shows movement to recreation centres, parks declined in October

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The latest Google COVID-19 Community Mobility report has shown that movement of people to retail and recreation centres, parks, public transport hubs, supermarkets and pharmacies declined significantly across the country in October.

The report showed that visits to shops, parks and workplaces dropped towards the end of October, when many state governments declared 24 hours curfew to check the looting, killings and destruction of properties by hoodlums.

The report, published for Nigeria and 130 other countries, examined mobility trends from September 13 to October 25.

It indicated that all over the country, movement of people to retail and recreation centres reduced by 38 per cent.

Also, movement of people to parks, public beaches, marinas, dog parks, plazas and public gardens declined by 34 per cent.

The report further showed that there was limited visit to public transport hubs, bus and train stations in October as Google reported 34  per cent decline in movement to these places.

According to the report, movement of people to workplaces declined by 19 per cent during the period under review.

In the period under review, Nigerians moved more towards residential areas as there was  13 per cent increase in movement to places of residence.

The report listed Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Imo and Kaduna as places where there was a considerable change in visits to places like parks and public transport hubs.

Others are Lagos, Osun, and Plateau states.

The states also experienced increased movement around residential areas.

The mobility trends for Lagos provided by Google indicated that visits by Nigerians to places like restaurants, cafes, shopping centres, theme parks, museums, libraries, and movie theaters had reduced by 55 per cent in October.

Also, movement of Lagos residents to grocery markets, food warehouses, farmers markets, specialty food shops, drug stores, and pharmacies, national parks, public beaches, marinas, dog parks, plazas, and public gardens reduced by 37 per cent.

In the same vein, movement of people to workplaces declined by 20 per cent while movement around residential areas in Lagos increased by 20 per cent in the month under review.

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