A potential new Google Maps update could include COVID-19 coverage maps

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As COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the country, travelers might be interested in seeing if the area they are heading has a high influx of new cases. It’s understandable, really. Now, a new leak, discovered by Jane Wong, points at an update to Google Maps that might do just that.

According to her findings, the new feature will be nestled in beside current transit options and shows a map with more distinct borders between states, with highlighted states having a high percentage of COVID-19 cases.

From the screenshots, it looks like data for the map is gathered from sources like the New York Times, Johns Hopkins University, and Wikipedia.

There’s been no official confirmation from Google regarding the feature found by Wong, or if the coverage area will expand outside the United States.

Google Maps’ COVID-19 map shows a number of the region, describing whether it is increasing or decreasing pic.twitter.com/bYJTYoSL3h

— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) September 4, 2020

This isn’t the first step by Google to show users more information about COVID-19. Previously, the company released a feature for Google Maps that would show travel restrictions. Google Maps also saw an update that gave more information about restaurant takeout and delivery in the wake of the coronavirus. Apple has also updated its map to show various information, including how to find testing centers near you through Apple Maps.

Both Apple and Google have also been working on using smartphones as a way of contact-tracing.

Overall, this would be a helpful feature for those of us that are traveling right now. While this information could be found with a couple of Google searches, having it at your fingertips through Google Maps would certainly make the process a bit easier.

What do you think? Would you like to see this reported feature come to Google Maps? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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