Coronavirus: Mumbai Police to use AI, drones to enforce social distancing amid COVID-19 lockdown

Mumbai Police to deploy AI and drone technology to keep an eye on densely populated neighbourhoods to ensure that social distancing is strictly enforced to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Home Minister Anil Deshmukh was given a demonstration of the same at Worli in the presence of Mumbai's Joint Commissioner of Police Vinay Choubey.

On average, India has only one police personnel per 761 people. In Maharashtra, UP, and Gujarat this further increases to 950 people.

In light of the challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown up, enforcing the lockdown and social distancing even while maintaining law and order can further stretch the already stretched police force.

Maharashtra is the worst-hit state in the country, followed by Delhi, Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan. India's financial capital, Mumbai, has emerged as the epicentre of coronavirus spread in the country. 

"This will help maximise the police's reach in dense, difficult to reach pockets and become their eyes in the sky," said Deshmukh.

"The technology will allow the police to address people and instruct them to disperse if there is crowding. It will also be able to contain the exposure of the police personnel if this is a contaminated area," he further added.

He further underlined how the pandemic has forced authorities world over to think out of the box.

"The Maharashtra government is also doing its best to keep both citizens and police personnel safe. The deployment of drones is part of that endeavour."

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— DNA (@dna) April 14, 2020

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that the current nationwide lockdown will be extended till May 3, promising relaxation from April 20 for areas without hotspots. 

In a televised address to the nation, Modi said the extension of lockdown is very necessary to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

The ongoing 21-day lockdown that came into effect on March 25 was to expire on midnight of April 14.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), there are 9352 confirmed cases of coronavirus cases in the country and 324 fatalities have been reported.