TODAY NICARAGUA – Eight months after the first case of Covid-19 was registered in Nicaragua, the country is experiencing a feeling of “normality” amid the pandemic.
This is confirmed in the latest Google mobility report, which indicates that Nicaraguans maintain a greater displacement compared to other countries in the region, despite the fact that the company’s data makes clear a reduction in mobility in the country in the last month compared to previous months.
The study collects data from the cell phones of users who keep Google’s location history enabled.
According to monitoring, displacement in places of recreation and leisure – such as restaurants, cafeterias or shopping centers – has been reduced by 8%. In contrast, trips to supermarkets and pharmacies have increased by 5%.
In May, when the pandemic hit the country hard, the mobilization rate in supermarkets and pharmacies was 22%.
Regarding the visits that the population has registered in parks and sports centers, Google indicates that this behavior in Nicaraguans has decreased by 15%. The points where a reduction in mobilization has been seen the most is bus stops, with 18%, when a couple of months ago it was 33%.
Public transport has been one of the main sources of Covid-19 infections.
Where Google also shows growth in mobility is in residential areas, with 5%. Mobility to workplaces was also analyzed and registered a 7% decrease.
According to official data by the Ministry of Health (Minsa), Nicaragua accumulated this Tuesday, November 24, a total of 5,784 positive infections from Covid-19 and 160 deaths.
The Minsa indicated in its weekly report that during the week from November 17 to 24, only 59 cases attributable to coronavirus and 1 death were reported, following the line of an apparent decrease, as in the previous weeks.
For its part, Observatorio Ciudadano, an independent initiative of doctors and activists who are fighting to break the censorship of the dictatorship, until November 18, in their count they have a cumulative of 11,251 suspected cases of Covid-19 and 2,796 deaths.
Behavior in Central America
Although Nicaragua has decreased mobilization a little, according to Google’s registry, this behavior is well below the level compared to the rest of the Central American countries. In the case of Panama, for example, trips to recreation and leisure sites have been reduced by 49%.
In Costa Rica, which continues to be an example in the region, its mobility to leisure centers has been reduced by 35%, as well as to public places such as squares and parks by 50%. Meanwhile, visits to transportation centers reduced mobility by 45%.
Meanwhile, Honduras has reduced their mobility to recreation sites by 45%, to pharmacies 29%, parks 42%, transportation 48%, and work centers 16%, according to the detailed report. of the company.
While El Salvador, which has taken strict measures to reduce Covid infections since the beginning of the pandemic, has seen its mobility decreased by 20% to entertainment centers, to pharmacies by 13%, 25% to parks, and 7% to jobs.
Lastly, Guatemala, which shows a reduction in the same period of 26% of mobility to recreation sites, to pharmacies by 17%, to parks by 34%, and public transportation by 36%.
“Google prepared this report to help you and public health officials understand the responses to social distancing guidance related to Covid-19,” the study states.
Article originally appeared on Today Nicaragua and is republished here with permission.
