Nagpur: The positive and quarantined patients roaming outside their homes is one of the reasons for the massive spike in Covid-19 cases in Nagpur. However, beware such patients! The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has come out with an innovative system of using facial recognition through the 3,800 CCTVs installed in different parts of the city to curb Covid-19 positive patients from stepping out of home isolation.
This is probably the first of its kind effort in the country to arrest Covid spread.
According to Municipal Commissioner Radhakrishnan B, photos of people — with and without masks — coming to testing centres will be clicked via an app developed by a city start-up. Positive patients will be automatically detected by the CCTV system. They will then be fined and put in institutional quarantine. The Guardian Minister Nitin Raut and the Divisional Commissioner Sanjeev Kumar gave their approval to implement the system. Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis said the system will help in containing the spread of the disease.
Photos of the patients will be linked with the identification number generated by the ICMR when they come for Covid tests. Pictures of those who test negative will be automatically deleted. The app will be connected with the City Operation Centre of the Smart City Project at the NMC headquarters, Radhakrishnan said. The civic chief said facial recognition will be done using artificial intelligence.
The top NMC boss further said that the CCTVs will detect the patient automatically and create an alert. Zonal civic staff will then visit the home of the violator immediately, levy a fine of Rs 5,000, and admit the person in an institutional quarantine. The NMC has said that positive patients in home isolation have been roaming around in public places and increasing the chances of Covid spread.
