New Delhi, India

Google Maps will now show COVID-19 related alerts to people on iOS and Android. The new move is being set in place to facilitate easy travelling across territories. Google will now inform users of coronavirus’ related delays or halts in the functioning of public transport, while also telling people which territories require one to exercise more precautions, and where one must not venture without protective headgear.

Advertisment

New driving and transit rules will inform users of COVID-19’s impact on movement restrictions et al, in real time.

This will be done by tallying data with local transit agencies, which will allow users to prepare for travel accordingly.

Also read: My father spent equivalent of a year's salary on my plane ticket to US: Google CEO Sundar Pichai

Advertisment

Transit alerts are rolling out in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, France, India, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom and the US.

In case there are any roadblocks or extra measures to be taken, Google will inform users. This will come in handy for folks planning to travel internationally.

If impacted by these restrictions, an alert will be put out on the directions screen. Currently, this is available only in Canada, Mexico, and the US.

Advertisment

Additionally, the app will now provide information about medical facilities and testing centres. This will be done in a bid to avoid crowding, and to provide foresight about the status of centres, etc.

Also read: Indian-origin's Prabhakar Raghavan appointed as head of Google Search

For medical facilities, real time updates will be available soon in Israel, the Philippines, the US, Indonesia, and South Korea. In terms of testing centres, only US will have the feature in the near future.

Google plans to roll out new features soon, which include access to temperatures, security mechanisms, and special provisions for women on public transport.

Recently, Google added more information about wheelchair friendly locations to help people preplan their journey, and avoid hassle.