Revealed: Google shows just where in Blackpool people are heading out to during the lockdown

Analysis by tech giant Google shows just where people in Blackpool are venting out to during the lockdown
A lone police officer patrols the promenade on Blackpool's Golden Mile as people and businesses observe the pandemic lockdownA lone police officer patrols the promenade on Blackpool's Golden Mile as people and businesses observe the pandemic lockdown
A lone police officer patrols the promenade on Blackpool's Golden Mile as people and businesses observe the pandemic lockdown

People in Blackpool have been tempted back into some shops despite the continuing lockdown, data from Google suggests – but trips are still below normal levels.

With national figures showing a similar rise in shop visits, First Secretary of State Dominic Raab, acting in place of Boris Johnson, urged the nation to continue to follow government advice on social distancing.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In the second report of its kind, Google used location data to chart trends in people's movement in the home, retail and recreation establishments, grocery stores and pharmacies, public transport hubs, and parks and green spaces.

In Blackpool, footfall increased in all five of the categories outside of the home in the six weeks to April 5 compared to the six weeks to March 29.

Both reports used the five-week period between January 3 and February 6 as a baseline to compare people’s movements against.

The biggest change was in grocery markets, pharmacies and speciality food shops.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Google's figures previously showed footfall had fallen by 43 per cent, but the latest data shows visits are now only down 38 per cent compared to usual.

Speaking after the publication of the second Google report, Dominic Raab said everyone who stayed home had helped protect the NHS and save lives, but that "we must keep going".

He added that the measures will have to stay in place until we have moved beyond the peak of cases, as it was too early to say conclusively if they had worked yet.

He said: "The most important thing right now is that people continue to follow the Government’s guidance until we’ve got the evidence that the virus is firmly under control.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"So that means please do stay at home, to protect our NHS and to save lives. After all the efforts that everyone’s made, after all the sacrifices so many people have made, let’s not ruin it now.

"Let’s not undo the gains we’ve made. Let’s not waste the sacrifices so many people have made.

"We mustn’t give the coronavirus a second chance to kill more people and hurt our country. I know it’s tough going. But this is a team effort, and we’ll only defeat this virus for good if we all stay the course."

Across the UK, the Google data shows an increase in footfall in each category outside the home.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The biggest increase in movement was seen in parks where visits rose from 52 per cent below average to 29 per cent.

Speaking at another daily press conference, NHS England medical director Stephen Powis their own data analysis shows compliance levels in the public are very high.

He said: "We absolutely need to make sure that we keep the benefits of this going forward and we don’t take our foot off the pedal, we don’t become complacent."

The full results for Blackpool are:

Trips to retail and recreation establishments had been 88 per cent below normal, but have since increased to 85 per cent

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Visits to parks and green spaces had been 64 per cent below average, but have since increased to 52 per cent – though Google said there was not enough data

Footfall in grocery stores and pharmacies had been 43 per cent below normal, but have since increased to 38 per cent

Public transport use, which had been 65 per cent below the baseline, has since increased to 60 per cent

Workplaces had seen a 54 per cent drop, but have since increased to 51 per cent