West Sussex sees sharp drop in public transport use as residents stay at home
NHS England medical director Stephen Powis said people are continuing to follow government guidance to stay at home to help reduce the number of hospitalisations due to coronavirus.
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Hide AdGoogle’s figures, which use location data to chart trends in people’s movement, show visits to public transport hubs in West Sussex fell by 85 per cent in the six weeks to the end of March compared to two months earlier.
Only a small number of places have witnessed a bigger drop-off, with visits to bus and train stations down by an average of 75 per cent across the UK when compared to a previous five-week period at the start of the year.
Mr Powis said people were ‘continuing to see people adhering’ to government policy – particularly on public transport.
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Hide AdSpeaking recently at a daily coronavirus press conference, he said: “The sun might be out, but that doesn’t mean you should be out.
“We all need to make sure we resist the temptation, whatever the weather.
“This is not the time to be complacent and to take our foot off the pedal.
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Hide Ad“We need to continue to comply with the instructions because that will continue to translate into a reduction in the number of hospitalisations.”
Google’s figures also show a 15 per cent rise in activity in places of residence in West Sussex compared to a 56 per cent reduction in places of work, as more people work from home.
Visits to retail and recreation places were also down by 85 per cent – on a par with the UK average of 85 per cent.
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Hide AdThe British Independent Retailers Association said many successful businesses were fighting for survival, predicting that consumers’ increased use of online shopping is a trend that is here to stay.
Chief executive officer Andrew Goodacre said independent shops have already had to show great resilience and flair, utilising online deliveries to stay in business.
“However, we are also seeing many more previously successful businesses closed down and fighting for survival,” he said.
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Hide Ad“It is good to see the government initiatives that have been taken but we are concerned that the support is not reaching the retailer quick enough.”
Though there is no fixed date for when the lockdown will end and social distancing rules relaxed, Mr Goodacre said habits have already been formed and internet sales will continue to trump the High Street.
Where once they represented 20 per cent of all retail sales, they now make up 85 per cent and are ‘unlikely to come back down very quickly after the crisis’, he added.
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Hide AdWest Sussex also saw 46 per cent less footfall at groceries and pharmacies, and 53 per cent less in parks and green spaces.
Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said using anonymous data like this from Google, ‘will help improve our understanding of the impact social distancing measures are having’.
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