The impact of COVID-19 on changes in community mobility and variation in transport modes

Using Google mobility data and Apple maps data we track changes in community mobility and transport modes during the COVID-19 Alert levels. Results show that Alert Level 4 – lockdown had a significant impact on the reduction in mobility and variation in transport mode. Mobility and transport mode progressively returned to pre-Alert Level 4 patterns with the exception of public transport. Regional heterogeneity in the variation of public transport use was evident in the data. Containment measures also had a significant negative effect on retail and recreation. Otago had a significantly delayed recovery in retail and recreation relative to other regions.