A Rwandan police drone
KIGALI, April 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Tech-savvy Rwanda is using drones to keep residents of the capital Kigali informed of coronavirus lockdown measures: and help catch those who abuse them.
While police stop cars and pedestrians on streets to ask why they are out, two drones buzz above them, one loudly broadcasting instructions and the other monitoring movements.
“Drones are flying in areas where checkpoints are not mounted and where patrols could not be there,” said police spokesman John Bosco Kabera.
Among culprits have been a pastor who pretended to be on her way to give a radio interview when in fact she was heading to church despite the ban on public gatherings.
She was arrested and held for several days.
In another case, a man with permission to supply food was found transporting liquor instead, Kabera said.
“Just stay at home. That’s what we are enforcing.”
Like many African nations, Rwanda has relatively few coronavirus cases so far – just 138 confirmed, with no deaths – but there are fears the pandemic could do far worse damage in the world’s poorest continent in coming months.
Rwanda has long aspired to be a regional technology hub, but its use of drones to combat the coronavirus is not unique.
From Indian slums to English countryside, a host of nations are deploying drones to publicize rules, check movements and even spray disinfectant. — NNN-AGENCIES
