Yesterday, (June 8, 2020) Google Maps rolled out several new features for Android and iOS to keep travelers and commuters up-to-date on how COVID-19 might impact their trip. That includes information like travel restrictions and how crowded public transportation might be.

Transit alerts from local agencies will now show up in Maps to keep people informed about government mandates related to public transportation, such as whether services are unavailable or if masks are required. The alerts are now available in the US, UK, India, Mexico, France, Thailand, Spain, Netherlands, Columbia, Brazil, Argentina, Austria and Belgium. More countries will be added soon.

Google will also let users know if their trip involves a COVID-19 checkpoint, such as when crossing international borders. This feature is launching with the US, Canada and Mexico.

Alerts will also pop up when users plan a trip to a COVID-19 testing center or medical facility. Data from local, state and federal governments will be pulled for these alerts to ensure people are aware of guidelines. For instance, if the center won’t see you without an appointment, that would be noted. This feature will initially be available for medical facilities in the US, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia and Israel. Testing center alerts will also be available in the US. Google is working to add more countries.

Google is building on a feature it rolled out last year that predicts how crowded a train, subway or bus will be. Now, when viewing transit directions, users can scroll down to find crowdedness predictions and add their own observations. Users will also see data on when a transit station is historically more or less crowded, or can opt to view live data by pulling up a station in Google Maps. This feature is rolling out over the next several weeks. Information is pulled from aggregated and anonymized data from users who opt in to Google Location History. The company notes this setting is switched off by default and Google only displays the data when it has enough input to meet privacy thresholds.

In February, Google Maps added insights such as how hot a route may be and if security is typically onboard. The company has now rolled out these features globally. It also added more accessibility information including where wheelchair accessible doors, seating and stop buttons are.

Smartphone users are still awaiting the roll-out of the Covid-19 contact tracing apps. Government officials rolling out the tools estimate it could take as long as a year for the contact tracing apps to be fully effective so Google maps is the best tool for folks to use currently.

Additional information on Google maps via The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/8/21284027/google-maps-covid-19-coronavirus-driving-transit-alerts