Coronavirus Update: Google Maps And Search Allow Businesses Affected By COVID-19 Mark As ‘Temporarily Closed’

KEY POINTS

Google allows business owners to mark their businesses temporarily closed
Due to coronavirus pandemic, several businesses have shut down temporarily
Google also updated its travel search around COVID-19 pandemic

Business owners affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic can mark their businesses “temporarily closed” on Google Search and Maps.

In the latest coronavirus update, Google has detailed guidance on updating information and temporary closures for businesses. Now, business owners can make changes to their Google My Business profile to provide accurate information to their customers.

Steps to make the profile appear as temporarily close on Google Maps and Search:

Sign in to Google My Business on the computer.
In the menu on the left, click Info.
To the right, point to the section “Close this business on Google.” In order to expand this section, the user might need to click the arrow.
Click Mark as temporarily closed.

If a business owner has multiple profiles, select the profile they want to change and follow steps two and three above to mark their businesses temporarily closed.

Meanwhile, Google has made some changes to its travel search.

“When you search on Google for information like flights, hotels, or things to do you’ll start seeing COVID-19 related travel advisories or restrictions for your destination, with links to relevant information from your country’s travel authority when possible,” Richard Holden, Vice President, Product Management, Travel at Google wrote in a blog post.

In the light of coronavirus pandemic, many airlines have made adjustments to their change fee and cancellation policies. Holden mentioned that people can search on Google for flights with a particular airline or head to Google Flights, it will direct them to Help Center article with more information regarding airline policies. It is advised that people also check the airline’s website for the latest updates.

The coronavirus death toll has crossed 24,000 with 531,708 active COVID-19 cases across the world, according to John Hopkins Univerity. In the U.S., New York City has reported the highest number of deaths (365). The U.S. leads the world in COVID-19 cases with more than 1000 deaths.