Google Maps: How to use the new COVID-19 layer

The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over. Google Maps now offers a new feature because of it. This went live in September 2020 and is intended to give you an overview of the situation.

Values and trends: The COVID-19 layer of Google Maps provides an overview.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, bare numbers have been the focus. These are now visible on Google Maps.

Google Maps: COVID-19 layer show - so it goes

Pandemic-related risk areas are shown per additional layer. You can find this in the view to the available layers, where you can switch, for example, to satellite view:

1. Tap in the app right on the icon for the different layers.
2. There you can now select the view "COVID-19 Info".

The information you get there refers to new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, because this value is one of the most important from the point of view of experts and government. Wikipedia as well as the New York Times, Johns Hopkins University and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation act as data sources.To get the info, you'll probably have to zoom out a bit. Starting at the right scale, Maps will then show you the respective values for the region; if you zoom out even further, the scale will also change, such as from individual states to entire countries. In addition to the pure values, the trend is also important: this shows whether a number is currently decreasing or increasing.