Jordan joins a growing list of countries in the MiddleEast that are deploying drones to fight the Coronavirus. On Sunday, police in Jordan started to deploy drones to enforce curfews, deliver public health announcements and even monitor people’s temperatures.
Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus, Jordan declared five deaths and 323 cases of COVID-19. Since last month, some 1,600 people have been arrested for violating a nationwide curfew.
Countries in the MiddleEast are deploying drones to fight Coronavirus
In the neighboring country of Israel, the government has also started to deploy drones in an effort to stop the fast-spreading and highly contagious Coronavirus. In the northern coastal city of Nahariya, police are using drones to patrol the beachfront area and enforce movement restrictions.
“The armed forces and security services will ensure that the curfew is being respected by using modern technology such as drones and surveillance cameras,” Minister of State for Information Amjad al-Adayleh told a press briefing late Saturday, reports The Times of Israel.
Kuwait has been using drones since the middle of March to broadcast messages in multiple languages, urging people to return to their homes and stay inside. The oil state has effectively been on lockdown since March. Police in the United Arab Emirates and Dubai have undertaken similar steps.
In Saudi Arabia, drones have even been used to measure people’s body temperatures. According to the Saudi Press Agency, the unmanned aircraft were outfitted with artificial intelligence and thermal cameras.
In Oman, drones have been used by authorities to reduce gathering in public areas in the capital Muscat.
Foreign workers in Qatar, have been targeted by a drone-based ‘awareness drive’ ahead of the Islamic weekend. Around 90% of the 2.75 million people in the county are expatriates from developing countries. The drones were used to broadcast messages in different languages to stay away from social gatherings and not to leave home except for necessary purposes.
Photo: Times of Israel
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