THE vast majority of Glaswegians have been taking heed to social distancing warnings, new location data can confirm.

The figures were revealed by search engine Google, who has begun sharing data linked to people’s movements to show how the public is responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

The tech firm said it was using aggregated, anonymised data from products such as Google Maps for the process.

The first report for Glasgow, for the period between February 16 and March 29, showed that visits to retail and recreation locations such as restaurants, cafes, shopping centres and museums dropped by 84%.

Visits to parks and public beaches also fell 37%.

Glasgow Times:

The number of people at transport hubs like bus, train and subway stations also fell by 81%.

Visits to workplaces also dropped 60%, the figures showed.

The data is traditionally used by Google for apps such as Maps to reveal when specific places of interest are busiest and help driving routes.

The Government has voiced its support for the scheme, saying it would help assess the impact of social distancing measures put in place to stop the spread of Covid-19.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “We’re working closely with tech companies to find innovative ways to stop the spread of coronavirus, protect the NHS and save lives.

“Google’s publication of Covid-19 mobility reports will help improve our understanding of the impact of the social distancing measures.”