PEOPLE in Brighton and Hove have been tempted back into parks and shops despite the continuing lockdown, data from Google suggests – ​but visits are still below normal levels.

With national figures showing a similar rise, First Secretary of State Dominic Raab, acting in place of Boris Johnson, urged the nation to continue to follow government advice on social distancing.

In the second 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.

In Brighton and Hove, footfall increased in all five of the categories outside of the home in the six weeks to April 5 compared to the six weeks to March 29.

Both reports used the five-week period between January 3 and February 6 as a baseline to compare people’s movements against.

The biggest change was in parks and natural spaces, with politicians and police urging the public to only use outdoor spaces for exercise and not sunbathing or meeting friends.

The Argus:

A deserted Brighton during the coronavirus lockdown

Google's figures previously showed footfall had fallen by 59 per cent but the latest data shows visits are now ​only down 44 per cent compared to usual.

Speaking after the publication of the second Google report, Dominic Raab said everyone who stayed home had helped protect the NHS and save lives, but that "we must keep going".

He added that the measures will have to stay in place until we have moved beyond the peak of cases, as it was too early to say conclusively if they had worked yet.

He said: "The most important thing right now is that people continue to follow the Government’s guidance until we’ve got the evidence that the virus is firmly under control.

"So that means please do stay at home, to protect our NHS and to save lives. After all the efforts that everyone’s made, after all the sacrifices so many people have made, let’s not ruin it now.

The Argus:

"Let’s not undo the gains we’ve made. Let’s not waste the sacrifices so many people have made.

"We mustn’t give the coronavirus a second chance to kill more people and hurt our country. I know it’s tough going. But this is a team effort, and we’ll only defeat this virus for good if we all stay the course."

The final weekend of data collection for this report saw good weather across many parts of the UK, with crowds congregating at popular outdoor places.

The full results for Brighton and Hove are:

Trips to retail and recreation establishments had been 89 per cent below normal, but have since increased to 84 per cent ​

Visits to parks and green spaces had been 57 per cent below average, but have since increased to 44 per cent

Footfall in grocery stores and pharmacies had been 48 per cent below normal, but have since increased to 38 per cent

Public transport use, which had been 77 per cent below the baseline, has since increased to 75 per cent

Workplaces had seen a 65 per cent drop, but have since increased to 75 per cent

  • The coronavirus Sussex Crisis Fund has been set up to help those affected by the pandemic. The Argus’s charity and American Express have each donated £50,000 to kick-start the appeal. Grants will usually be for up to £5,000. More information is available at www.sussexgiving. org.uk/apply. To donate visit www.totalgiving.co.uk/appeal/sussexcrisisfund