Google has launched Nearby Spot to help its users find stores selling essentials in their town, amidst the lockdown. Nearby Spot has already been launched in Bengaluru. It will also be rolled out in cities like Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, and Delhi.
"With the lockdown and social distancing norms in place, digital payments have become more important than ever and Google Pay is an additional surface to provide key information regarding COVID-19," Google in a blog post said.
Google Pay has rolled out COVID-19 Spot on its platform. It has aggregated information about the ongoing pandemic sourced from the Health Ministry.
In addition to this, the Spot app will also enable a Google Pay user to donate for the cause in platforms such as PM-CARES Fund or to NGOs such as SEEDS, Give India, United Way and Charities Aid Foundation. These organisations are working for the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) kits who are on the frontline fighting this pandemic. They are also working to gather relief for daily wage earners and workers who have been impacted by the nationwide lockdown.
The Spot platform was launched by Google last year. Its main purpose is to allow a business to create a listing for the Google Pay app, which offers a customisable branded experience for that business, notes PTI.
Moreover, Google Search, Maps, Google Assistant, YouTube have been tweaked to show consolidated information, COVID-19 related information with links to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare resources, and other authoritative content on symptoms, prevention and treatment, according to google.
Google India’s recent tweet read, “Working closely with @mygovindia, we are now surfacing locations of food shelters & night shelters on Google Maps, Search and Google Assistant, to help migrant workers & affected people across cities.“
In addition to this, YouTube has come up with "Coronavirus News Shelf" that it displays on top of its homepage. The new shelf will show reliable and authentic information related to coronavirus.
"YouTube has also launched a Coronavirus News Shelf on the YouTube Homepage, which provides the latest news from authoritative media outlets regarding the outbreak," Google noted in a blog post.
Earlier this month, Google Maps added two new shortcuts to the list of shortcuts on its mobile app to assist its users with availabilities in their vicinity.
The takeaway and delivery options appear alongside the shortcuts for restaurants, chemists, petrol, ATM, etc. The delivery option presents its users with a list of nearby restaurants making deliveries in your locality. The Takeaway option presents its users with a list of restaurants that are providing takeaway options that will be provided to you.
PM Modi, on Tuesday, announced the extension of the ongoing-lockdown till May 3 as India witnessed over 9000 active COVID-19 cases.