Covid-19: Europe’s north-south lockdown divide revealed by Google data

A woman walks on the Ponte Sisto with her daughter in the Trastevere district as the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) continues, in Rome, Italy. In Italy and Spain, which have imposed near-total lockdowns on public life, retail and recreational trips were down by 94%. — Reuters

BERLIN: Italy and Spain, the two European countries hardest hit by the new coronavirus, have enforced the most drastic lockdowns to curb the pandemic but one country, Sweden, stands out for allowing life to go on much as before, Google data show.

An analysis of smartphone location data by the US search engine giant showed that visits to shops, parks or railway stations fell steeply in most European countries between Feb 16 and March 29 as governments sought to slow the explosive spread of the Covid-19 disease.