Business closures and (re)openings in real time using Google Places

We present a new method to measure business opening and closure rates using real-time information from Google Places, the dataset behind the Google Maps service. Our Canadian application confirms the importance of temporary closures and reopenings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 50% of the temporarily closed food and retail businesses during the April 2021 lockdown reopened by the end of September. Our estimates align well with the timing of COVID-19 restrictions and are validated by a survey of recently opened businesses. Our framework provides policy-makers with a tool for the timely monitoring of business dynamics.