People in Norfolk have been tempted back into parks despite the continuing lockdown, data from Google suggests – but visits are still below normal levels.
Trips to parks and green spaces across the county had dropped to 69pc below average on March 29 but shot up to 21pc just two days later.
But the figures from Google, which use the five-week period between January 3 and February 6 as a baseline to compare people’s movements against, were in line with the national trend.
In the third report of its kind, Google used location data to chart trends in people’s movement in the home, retail and recreation establishments, grocery stores and pharmacies, public transport hubs, and parks and green spaces.
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In Norfolk, footfall increased in all five of the categories outside of the home, except for visits to the workplace, in the six weeks to April 11 compared to the six weeks to March 29.
While one of the biggest change was in parks and green spaces, there was also a marked difference with trips to grocery stores and pharmacies, which hit 52pc below average on March 29.
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However, the drop began on March 19, when visits were still 24pc above average.
The first day trips to grocery shops and pharmacies dipped below average at 14pc was Sunday March 22, the day before national lockdown was announced by Boris Johnson.
Meanwhile, trips to retail and recreations have seen the greatest decline in visits, with the lowest drop, 83pc below average, recorded on March 28.
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The only footfall to remain consistently above average since March 13 has been at homes, where the highest peak of 26pc above average, was recorded on April 2.
It comes after Stephen Powis, NHS England medical director, said at a Downing Street press conference their own data analysis shows compliance levels in the public are very high.
He added: “We absolutely need to make sure that we keep the benefits of this going forward and we don’t take our foot off the pedal, we don’t become complacent.”
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