USAGE OF DRONE DURING COVID - 19

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Nivetha.N
 TRANSPORTATION

During the COVID-19 pandemic, eighteen countries used

drones for delivery and transportation. Some did it as part
of research and development, while others carried on with
their regular drone delivery services. Since the beginning
of the pandemic, three countries in Sub-Saharan Africa,
namely Rwanda, Ghana, and Malawi, have reported using
drones to deliver regular medical commodities COVID-19
supplies and medical samples. Prior to the COVID-19
pandemic, all three countries had drone operations; as a
result, drone operations were adapted in all three countries
to meet the increased demand for medical commodities and
COVID-19 supplies.
 AERIAL SPRAYING

Several media outlets have reported on the use of

drones to spray disinfectants in public outdoor
spaces to stop the virus from spreading. Attempts
were made in China, the United Arab Emirates,
Spain, South Korea, and other nations. Some
companies claim that they were able to spray a 3
km2 area. Scientific evidence, on the other hand,
suggests that this application is inefficient and
ineffective.
 PUBLIC SPACE MONITORING

Numerous public safety and law enforcement

agencies or organizations around the world (Sierra
Leone, Rwanda, China, the United States, Spain,
Italy, France, the United Kingdom, India, and others)
have deployed drones to monitor public spaces and
enforce quarantine by sending messages over a
loudspeaker and tracking non-compliant citizens.
Responders are expected to have less direct contact
with potentially infected people as a result of video
surveillance and voice message broadcasting from a
drone.
 CASE STUDY

The Kerala Police Department launched "Project

Eagle Eye" to use drones (unmanned aerial
vehicles) for surveillance during the lockdown
with the intention of using the technology to
supplement manual surveillance. It was also
hoped that media attention to drone surveillance
would serve as a deterrent to potential violators.
On both counts, they were correct. Drones have
proven their worth in the last two weeks,
particularly in inaccessible and unfamiliar
terrain.
 CONCLUSION

Countries that had laid the groundwork for a drone-

friendly environment were able to mobilize the
technology almost immediately after the pandemic
began. While there is still a lack of evidence of
systematic drone impact on health and related
outcomes, these countries were able to incorporate
drones into their response toolkits due to enabling
factors such as regulation, capacity, skills, resources,
social and political acceptance.
THANK YOU