Google was supposed to launch the “initial” version of its coronavirus information website today, but a delay this evening will see it come online later in the week.
In a statement to The Verge, Google cited “local and national guidance evolving rapidly” as the reason for delaying today’s launch of the coronavirus information page. The goal of this website is to “surface authoritative information” and keep it updated. It will link to “screening and testing” resources, with the latter locations also appearing in Google Search and Maps.
The initial focus is on making it available stateside — given the government partnership, but the company this evening made a brief reference to a Spanish-language version and international rollout.
The brief history of this site is mired by confusion about its scope and scale, with Donald Trump originally alluding to a nationwide “screening website” made by Google. However, what was described on Friday is actually a separate effort made by Alphabet’s Verily. That website launched last night, but is limited in scope to the San Francisco Bay Area. In fact, it hit testing capacity this morning.
It appears the informational coronavirus website made by Google is being very quickly developed in light of Trump’s remarks. By Saturday afternoon, Google revealed the separate effort, and CEO Sundar Pichai provided more details on Sunday.
More about the coronavirus:
- Google increasing automation, prioritizing workflows to account for coronavirus impact
- YouTube relying on automated video reviews in light of coronavirus, warns of removal uptick
- Google tells devs to expect longer app review times in light of coronavirus
- Google Duo creator says today is the biggest for video conferencing in history
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments