(Bloomberg) -- Fewer drivers in California consulted Apple Maps a day after Governor Gavin Newsom imposed strict lockdown measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus in some of the state's worst-hit counties.
Drivers in Los Angeles on Sunday made requests for directions in Apple Maps at 79% of the baseline established Jan. 13 before the pandemic, Apple data show. That compares with 84% on Nov. 15. San Francisco drivers were at 67% of the benchmark, down from 70% the previous Sunday.
Declines in requests for mapping may signal weaker demand for fuel with governments across the U.S. restricting movements because of the worsening pandemic. Nationwide gasoline stockpiles sit at the highest seasonal level in decades and other indicators are pointing to sluggish fuel consumption. According to Descartes Labs, which identifies a strong correlation between cell phone movements and demand, U.S. fuel consumption is at the weakest since June.
Newsom's curfew order bans nonessential work and gatherings between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. It started Saturday and lasts a month.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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