Argentine capital installs China-made infrared cameras to curb Covid-19

BUENOS AIRES, Jun 12, 2002, Xinhua. Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires has equipped public transit buses with fever-screening infrared cameras made in China in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19, Xinhua reported.

As the epicenter of Argentina’s outbreak, the capital is taking upgraded measures to combat the pandemic, including fitting buses serving two city routes-line 12 and line 39-with the Chinese-manufactured devices also known as thermal imaging cameras.

Florencia Comeron, spokesperson for Dahua Technology, told Xinhua the Chinese firm is in the business of providing “solutions for public transport.”

“Today we have a thermal camera that can make an initial temperature reading when someone boards the bus,” Comeron said during a visit to line 12’s terminal in the southern district of Barracas to see how the pilot project was progressing.

“At the same time, in half a second per person, it checks whether they are wearing a face mask correctly,” she added.

The cameras also monitor the number of people boarding to ensure passengers do not exceed the unit’s maximum capacity and are able to maintain a safe distance.

Thermographic cameras have been around for years, mainly for surveillance, but Dahua fine tuned the technology so it could better serve the health crisis, said Comeron.

When the cameras were used solely for security reasons, the temperature gauge didn’t need to be as exact as it is now, she noted.

“The fact that our plant is based in China gave us the opportunity to reinvest substantially in research and development, and adapt our products to the needs of the market,” said Comeron.

“Today, we are seeing a need for thermographic or temperature monitoring with a much, much smaller variation in degrees, so we brought this kind of solution,” Comeron said.

The buses additionally come equipped with an air purifier that automatically keeps the air inside the unit clean.

The pilot project is likely to be expanded to other routes as the city works to control the outbreak.

Damian Ramos, spokesperson for the bus company Transportes Automotores Callao, which operates line 12, noted both passengers and bus drivers stood to benefit from installing the cameras.

“It helps the drivers to have the security of knowing that the passengers boarding have no fever, and the same is true for the passengers,” said Ramos.

Technological solutions such as this and others that contribute to keeping the buses sanitized are “fundamental to preventing transmission within the units,” Ramos added.

Argentina has so far reported 25,987 cases of COVID-19, including 12,487 in Buenos Aires.