THE return of the Rule of six and reopening of shops signalled big changes in people’s daily live, fresh data from Google has revealed.

The Google Mobility data, which tracks the places that people visit, shows how Covid-19 has impacted on people’s lives and how that has changes in recent weeks and months.

The latest data has shown how the number of people using parks has shot up in Bradford since the beginning of April, with visits 60 per cent higher than the normal level.

Park visitor data has been higher than normal throughout the pandemic but following the return of the Rule of Six outdoors, and outdoor sport, from March 29, the figures surged to 80 per cent above normal at the beginning of April and have remained at a high level – helped by the hot weather which bathed the district last month.

In recent weeks, with pubs and shops reopening and the weather taking a turn for the worst, visits have fallen but still remain about 40 per cent above normal.

Also seeing an increase in visits in April was retail and recreation, in line with the April 12 reopening in step two of the roadmap.

While numbers remain below the average, on April 12 they were the closest to normal seen in a long time and are now 26 per cent below average, up from before April when it was nearer to -50 per cent, boosted by shops and pubs reopening, as well as gyms, golf courses and other outdoor sports venues.

The amount of time people spend at home has also risen by nine per cent compared to average, not unexpected due to people still being instructed to work from home and limit travel.

The boost could have come from people holding gatherings in gardens, rather than going out for food or drinks. The data also shows consistent dips in time spent at home which could signal more people venturing out on weekends now that there is more to do.

As has also been the case throughout the pandemic, the number of people in their workplace or using public transport remains below average, with 34 per cent fewer in their place of work than normal and people using public transport down 31 per cent on average.

The Google Mobility data shows how visits to places, such as corner shops and parks, are changing throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, and show how visits and length of stay at different places change compared to a baseline which was taken between January 3 and February 6, 2020.