Been wondering how COVID-19 and lockdowns have been impacting our mobility?
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Well, Google has been keeping track and its released its COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports.
As expected, Australians heading to retail and recreation outlets dropped compared with the baseline data, as did trips to workplaces and the use of public transport use.
Meanwhile supermarkets and pharmacies were visited more often, as were people's homes.
Across the country retail and recreation visits dropped 26 per cent compared to the baseline, while visits to parks went down 28 per cent.
Public transport took a 61 per cent hit, and workplaces a 25 per cent drop.
Places of residence went up 14 per cent and supermarkets and pharmacies saw a slight nationally increase of two per cent.
While most of Australia's states and territories saw drops in retail and recreation - that is places such as restaurants, cafés, shopping centres, theme parks, museums, libraries and cinemas - Western Australia bucked the trend with an eight per cent increase.
Workplaces were also down across the board except for Tasmania and Western Australia which saw 11 per cent and seven per cent rises respectively. South Australia was steady with just a one per cent growth.
IN OTHER NEWS:
The Northern Territory saw a huge jump in park visits - places like national parks, public beaches, marinas, dog parks, plazas and public gardens - with a 31 per cent increase. All other states and territories recorded drops.
The baseline data in the reports is the median value, for the corresponding day of the week, during the five week period from January 3 to February 6, 2020.
The reports show trends over several weeks with the most recent data representing approximately two to three days ago.
Kim Chappell
As Senior Producer - Digital for ACM's regional titles I assist newsrooms in digital best practice. Before this role, I was the digital journalist with ACM's national team and prior to that, the digital specialist with ACM's Agricultural division. I started as a general rounds journalist with The Land in 2006, moving up to hold the title of chief of staff before switching to digital reporting in 2015.
As Senior Producer - Digital for ACM's regional titles I assist newsrooms in digital best practice. Before this role, I was the digital journalist with ACM's national team and prior to that, the digital specialist with ACM's Agricultural division. I started as a general rounds journalist with The Land in 2006, moving up to hold the title of chief of staff before switching to digital reporting in 2015.
