  The UK government announced its first wave of lockdown easing on 10 May 2020,
two months after the non-pharmaceutical measures to reduce the spread of
COVID-19 were first introduced on 23 March 2020. Analysis of reported case rate
data from Public Health England and aggregated and anonymised crowd level
mobility data shows variability across local authorities in the UK. A
locality-based approach to lockdown easing is needed, enabling local public
health and associated health and social care services to rapidly respond to
emerging hotspots of infection. National level data will hide an increasing
heterogeneity of COVID-19 infections and mobility, and new ways of real-time
data presentation to the public are required. Data sources (including mobile)
allow for faster visualisation than more traditional data sources, and are part
of a wider trend towards near real-time analysis of outbreaks needed for
timely, targeted local public health interventions. Real time data
visualisation may give early warnings of unusual levels of activity which
warrant further investigation by local public health authorities.
