Pokemon Go is changing things in-game again to keep up with the pandemic

tech.hindustantimes.com:

Niantic's Pokemon Go is a game that essentially involves a lot of walking around and discovering new places. Since the Covid-19 pandemic has made walking around relatively impossible for many people globally, the company had to bring in some gameplay tweaks to allow players to still keep playing under quarantine conditions. Now, that conditions globally have been changing, for the better in some places, Niantic has announced in a blog that it has some plans to remove and change some of those in-game bonuses, and is also going to add some new gameplay tweaks.

These new changes are going to roll out first for Pokemon Go players in the United States (new Covid-19 cases on the decline) and New Zealand (new cases of Covid-19 almost non-existent). Pokemon Go players in the US and New Zealand will start seeing these changes in-game by July end once this year's Pokemon Go Fest ends. The changes will roll out in other countries once it is safe. Most of these changes have been designed to encourage Pokemon Go players to get out and move around and to restore the game's in-person events like raids.

Here are the changes coming to Pokemon Go:

Exploration bonuses

- Players will get up to two free Raid Passes per day from spinning Gym Photo discs.

- Players will benefit from increased Incense effectiveness while moving.

- Gifts from spinning Pokestops guaranteed as long as players have not reached the maximum gift inventory.

- Receive 10x bonus XP from spinning a Pokestop for the first time.

Bonuses that are going to be changed/removed on Pokemon Go

- Incense effectiveness was boosted over the pandemic to attract more Pokemon to a player's location even while stationary. This is going to change and go back to the original levels when players