This website lets you know wait times at GTA COVID-19 testing centres

A Toronto man found the largest pain point for people looking to get a COVID-19 test: the wait. And hoping to ease the Greater Toronto Area residents' pain, Ben Harris built a website called covidwaits.com, which crowdsources information about COVID-19 testing centres. 

The Toronto startup consultant found himself waiting for hours to get tested, and there wasn't an online resource that let him know where it was best to go without wasting so much time.

"My takeaway was, I wish someone would have told me that the Etobicoke drive-thru was five hours before I left my house," Harris told CTV News Toronto. "And the second thing was I wish there was a way that I could check the wait times before I went so that I could make the most informed decision about where to go."

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Uber launches 'rider mask verification' in Canada

Source: Vera Davidova/Unsplash

Uber has started rolling out its "rider mask verification" across Canada to help implement its "No Mask, No Ride" policy it implemented back in May. If a driver reports that a rider isn't wearing a mask, the rider will be required to take a selfie with their mask or face cover before they can take their next Uber trip. Uber has said it removed access of over 1,250 riders in Canada and the US for failing to abide by the policy.

For their part, Uber drivers and delivery people are also required to verify that they're wearing a mask before they start to drive passengers or deliver food. They need to take a selfie that shows their mouth and nose are covered.

Source: Uber

Google Maps adds COVID-19 info layer on mobile

Google Maps has started rolling out a new COVID-19 data overlay for Android and iOS. The new layer shows "critical information about COVID-19 cases in an area" so that you can make "more informed decisions about where to go and what to do."

To access the feature, tap on the layers button on the top right-hand corner of the screen and select "COVID-19 info." The app will then show a seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people for the part of the map you're looking at. A label will show if cases are trending up or down, with colour coding to help you distinguish between the density of new cases in an area.

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Apple's design teams create special face masks for staff

Source: Mark Gurman/Twitter

Apple does as Apple does, so it isn't surprising the tech giant developed its own face masks for its corporate and retail employees to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Apple will begin sending the Apple Face Mask to employees over the next couple of weeks. Apple's Engineering and Industrial Design teams developed the customized face mask. These teams are the same groups who work on gadgets like the iPhone and iPad. 

It has three layers to filter incoming and outgoing particles, and it can be washed and reused for up to five times. It has large coverings on the top and bottom to cover the nose and chin and adjustable strings to fit it to the ears. 

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