Victorian police to use drones to monitor COVID-19 hotspots

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Victoria, Australia, in what is said to be the second wave, Victorian police are turning to drones to help and monitor public areas. 1,000 extra police will be deployed alongside the drones to stop the spread of the virus.

The coronavirus cases in Australia peaked around the end of March with much of the country in lockdown. As the cases started to go down, by around the end of April, a plan was introduced to get the country back up and running. Everything was going well until mid-June when cases in Victoria began to go up after restrictions were lifted, forcing much of the state back into lockdown. Victoria currently has 2,368 cases as of today.

The Victorian state government has responded to this by sending in the army to ensure those who are in the coronavirus hotspots aren’t leaving the area unless it’s for work or shopping for the essentials. The government has also deployed 1,000 extra police officers roaming the streets and drones flying above to monitor people to ensure they are isolating.

COVID in Australia

Many of the states in Australia have used drones to manage the COVID-19 pandemic, with Western Australia police using drones to monitor public areas and beaches to ensure the public were following social distancing laws. Drones were also looked at a possible method to disinfect streets and Australian malls. Australian company Swoop Aero have come up with a plan to use its medical drones to deliver COVID tests around the country.

Drones and COVID-19

Drones have been present throughout the global pandemic, with some saying that this demonstrates how truly useful drones are. Recently, the University of California San Diego (UCSD) developed a disinfecting drone with UV-C lights. Many countries are using drones to disinfect public areas, along with monitoring busy areas to ensure people are following social distancing rules.

Photo: Victorian police

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