People around the world have already started learning about how to live with the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, Google has come with a new update, “A COVID-19 layer” that helps to navigate safely. You can get the details regarding the number of COVID positive cases in a given area. Therefore, you can now check Google maps before travelling to get details about the exposure rate of the virus in that area.

How to activate the COVID-19 layer?

• First, open Google Maps on your mobile.
• Then, tap ‘Layer’ that is present on the top-right.
• Now, tap ‘COVID-19 Info’.

Here you can see the seven-day average of new COVID cases per 100,000 people. Apart from this it also indicates whether the COVID cases are increasing or decreasing. Google Maps uses color-codes to show the severity of the cases in the area.

Google has said this feature would be available in 220 countries and territories that Google Maps supports. Both iOS and Android users can enjoy this latest feature from this week. You can just zoom in or out, to see COVID-19 averages at the city, state, national, or country level.

Google collects the data from public sources like Johns Hopkins University, the New York Times, and Wikipedia. These authoritative sources get data from the World Health Organization, hospitals, state and local health care centers, and government health ministries. The Google Search engine uses the same data. Now, Google Maps App also uses the same data.

Other important COVID-19 Google Map’s updates

• You can search for COVID-19 health facilities that test COVID cases near your location.
• You can also get business-related updates like ‘Mark a business temporarily closed’, ‘Mark a Business reopened’.
• In certain countries, you get in-app alerts when you begin navigation. You can also be aware of whether your route is affected by COVID-19 restrictions or not.
• You can also get an update from restaurants, details about which restaurants are offering takeaways, and dine-in options.