Coronavirus: Police to test drone to monitor residents temperatures, coughing

WESTPORT, Conn. — Big Brother is watching. A police department in Connecticut is using some high-tech gadgets to monitor people who may have a temperature or who are coughing and sneezing.

Westport police are testing what is being called a “pandemic drone,” WVIT reported.

The drone, which was developed by Draganfly, will be able to display a person’s temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate and see people who are coughing or sneezing in a crowd, according to a press release obtained by WVIT.

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It can sense the readings from 190 feet away, NBC News reported.

Officials said the drone will not be used in private yards and does not have facial recognition technology, WVIT reported.

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It will be used to monitor public areas where people may get together like beaches, train stations, parks and shopping areas, Fox News reported.

Lt. Anthony Prezioso said during testing, nothing will happen to a person if they have a fever or if they are coughing. It’s just being used to evaluate information from the drone, NBC News reported.

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As of Wednesday, the state had more than 22,400 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 1,544 deaths related to the virus, according to state officials.