Drones could be potential game changers in fight against Covid-19

Drones are being deployed as a means to fight the deadly coronavirus pandemic by authorities.

“Our drones will spray disinfectant on areas specified by the Chhattisgarh government, usually hospital areas, government offices and buildings,” IANS quoted Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Managing Director of Chennai-based Garuda Aerospace, as saying.

Not just Chhattisgarh, a report in Times of India stated that a team of researchers from Madras Institute of Technology is helping the Tamil Nadu government in spraying disinfectant over large areas in the state.

“We are working in collaboration with the state government to spray disinfectants, especially where human accessibility is difficult. For this purpose, we’ve modified the drones with special nozzles to spray disinfectants. These drones are flown using petrol and can be continuously flown throughout the day. On Saturday, we covered around 3 lakh/sqm and sprayed almost 900 litres of disinfectant,” the Times of India report quoted a member of the team as saying.

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palika has also deployed drones to disinfect public places like bus stands, railway stations.

Not just in India, drones have been used in China and South Korea for spraying disinfectants.

The deployment of drones can be a gamechanger in fight against Covid-19 infection. Some reports suggested that China deployed drones with thermal imaging to check for symptoms like fever.

Besides, drones can be used in quick delivery of testing kits and emergency supplies to Covid hotspots.