Coronavirus Australia: We’re more interested in weather than virus

Australians are returning to normal, with Google search data showing we’re going out and checking the weather more than the virus.

Restaurants are now taking bookings of up to ten people. Picture: Nikki Short.

Australians are “ready to return to normal”, with Google search data showing we are now more interested in the weather than the coronavirus.

ANZ analysis of “alternative data” to gauge the mood in the population shows a flagging interest in the pandemic, alongside increasing mobility around the nation as social distancing restrictions ease.

“The internet searching behaviour of Australians suggests to us that the fear of and interest in COVID-19 has subsided considerably,” ANZ economist Hayden Dimes said.

“As this search intensity has returned to normal, we think people are worrying less; and Australia’s success in containing the pandemic is likely to be part of this.”

So far, the easing of some restrictions by states has not led to a resurgence of new cases.

ANZ analysis shows we're more interested in the weather than the virus.

Australians are still far less mobile than we were before, but we are getting about a lot more than during the peak of the lockdown in late April and early May.

Apple maps route requests remain more than 20 per cent down from immediately pre-COVID levels, but that is well shy of the near 60 per cent plunge observed around a month ago.

Public transport requests are off more than 60 per cent, against more than 80 per cent before the crisis intensified in March.

People are beginning to get out more.

CBDs are starting to come back to life.

Melbourne city weekday foot traffic has doubled to 20,000, although it is only a quarter of the average annual weekday peak before the health crisis forced almost half the workforce to work from home and made ghost towns of office blocks.

As states allow 10 people to dine in at restaurants, bookings have lifted off the floor.

The OpenTable booking app shows activity now at 10 per cent of former levels. NSW on Friday will expand that dine-in limit to 50 people from Monday.

People are starting to return to restaurants.

We are also starting to think about holidays again. Travel for non-essential purposes is now either allowed or soon to be allowed in most states.

The ANZ report shows searching for “Melbourne hotels”, “Sydney hotels” and for AirBnB have all lifted quickly in recent weeks.

 

The most recent ABS household survey showed 94 per cent of respondents were still observing social distancing measures, down a touch from 98 per cent in April.