As COVID-19 restrictions begin to loosen day-by-day, the worst thing we could do now is to completely disregard social distancing. Vigilance in these times has never been more important, and we must still be wary of the virus by keeping our distance as much as possible for simple daily outings like shopping. Thanks to this app, LineScouts, created in Slovenia, users can report to the community which supermarkets in the area are the busiest.
With the pandemic, we’ve seen an increasing number of large queues as people lineup to get their groceries done for the week. Unfortunately, this is an inconvenience, given the need for distancing measures. LineScouts gives users a “busyness score” based on data from Google and crowd-sourced information.
The app interface is in the form of a map where all the local supermarkets are marked with an icon that is either dark blue (no report), green (not busy), orange (busy), or red (very busy). This can be sorted into a list to have the least busy at the top.
This app could prove to be very useful if people were to consistently provide updated reports on the busyness of the supermarkets they visit or even observe. LineScouts is ideal for helping locals to determine when the best time to go shopping is so as to avoid the crowds and minimise risk.
The app is currently not on the Google Play Store or the App Store, but can be accessed here on both computer and mobile.
