Derbyshire residents hit the parks as lockdown rules are eased

New data from Google reveals more Derbyshire residents took advantage of the ease in lockdown rules to head for the county’s parks last week.
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The data, for the week to May 16, covers the first period in which lockdown restrictions started to be eased in England.

Google uses location data from phones and other personal devices to track trends in people's movement in the home, retail and recreation establishments, grocery stores and pharmacies, public transport hubs, workplaces, and parks and green spaces.

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The weekly report shows an increase in activity within Derbyshire's parks during the week to May 16, compared to the week before – suggesting people are hanging out in public green spaces more regularly, or for longer periods of time.

Parks have been busier since the eeasing of the lockdown rulesParks have been busier since the eeasing of the lockdown rules
Parks have been busier since the eeasing of the lockdown rules

Over the seven days, time spent in parks was 21 per cent higher than during a five-week baseline period at the start of the year.

The week before, it had been 12 per cent higher than usual levels.

In the first report, which covered the week to March 29 when the lockdown came into effect, park activity was down 14 per cent.

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The data suggests that the population in Derbyshire is staying away from green spaces less successfully than in other locations across the UK.

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Nationally, people were spending three per cent more time than usual in parks last week.

During the week to May 16 the first measures to ease England's lockdown were brought in, as people were encouraged to return to workplaces if they could not work from home.

They were also allowed to stay outdoors in public places, as long as social distancing measures were maintained.

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The nationwide lockdown was implemented on March 23, with the Prime Minister telling people to stay home and only leave for “very limited” and essential purposes.

These included shopping for basic necessities, once-a-day exercise, medical needs and travelling to work, but only when it could not be done from home.

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Meanwhile, four in 10 adults in Great Britain felt unsafe when going outside after the Government’s “stay at home” guidance was relaxed, official figures suggest.

The latest Office for National Statistics polling showed 41 per cent felt unsafe or very unsafe due to the coronavirus, rising to 54 per cent of those with an underlying health condition.

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Despite the fears, around one in four adults said they had visited a park or green space over the past seven days, a sixth of whom did so to meet friends or family outside their immediate household.

The Opinions and Lifestyle Survey on the social impacts of Covid-19 was conducted on 995 adults in Great Britain between May 14 and 17.

Elsehwhere in Derbyshire visits to public transport hubs were 42 per cent down on usual levels, shopping centres and food outlets saw 70 per cent less traffic than normal, workplaces were 53 per cent quieter than usual, food shops and pharmacies saw 21 per cent less traffic, people spent 20 per cent more time at home than usual.