Rwanda police use drones to spread Covid-19 awareness
The lack of compliance by residents to directives to stay home, wash hands, and respect physical distancing and wear masks was due to the low accessibility of the areas by community awareness teams and their messages.
During the first phase of lockdown that started on March 21 in Rwanda, the Government of Rwanda observed that some of the densely populated neighbourhoods and high-risk zones were not respecting preventative measures.
Additionally, it proved to be difficult to reach these neighbourhoods with prevention awareness messages.
The lack of compliance by residents to directives to stay home, wash hands, and respect physical distancing and wear masks was due to the low accessibility of the areas by community awareness teams and their messages.
ℹ️ Get the latest accurate information about #COVID19 with WHO @Viber interactive chatbot in multiple languages 👉 https://t.co/NOj9sH5fpR#TakeCareBeforeYouShare
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) July 21, 2020
The Rwanda National Police intervened with drones which were deployed to compliment radio/ TV messages, community health workers and other community leaders by bringing educative messages directly to residents by air.
Also read: Covid-19: Vulnerable populations and refugees the focus of WHO Africa
Rwanda has been exploring the integration of drones in different sectors since 2018 from blood delivery and larvicide spraying, facilitating distribution of medicines for chronic patients during lockdown in health sector, to topography in agriculture, and taking pictures to promote tourism in the country.
In the case of Covid-19, as drones were used to spread messages, they were also equipped with cameras.
The recorded footage allowed law enforcement officers, local authorities to closely monitor areas for the need of any intervention or evacuation that would normally take longer to identify and organise.
Also read: African countries among innovation leaders in the fight against Covid-19
Drones were deployed by the Rwanda National Police to different areas of Kigali City mainly high-risk zones and densely populated areas such as Kimisagara, Nyamirambo, Kanombe.
Currently, they are being used in Rusizi and Rubavu Districts where new clusters were identified and put back in lockdown.
Once the phase of curiosity passed residents started listening to messages being delivered by the drones.
To stop the spread of #COVID19, we all need to play our part. Help protect those who need it most. #StaySafe pic.twitter.com/mmrxUnQQVb
— World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific (@WHOWPRO) July 21, 2020
Police officers were able to reach places that sono-trucks couldn’t reach because of difficult terrain or lack of necessary manpower.
Drones also allowed RNP to deploy Police officers directly to areas, were needed most, as identified thanks to a close monitoring and treatment of the imaging data provided captured.
This strategy supported much in compliance of Covid-19 prevention measures especially in remote and very densely areas where it would be difficult to halt the spread of the pandemic.
Rwanda National Police procured drones with a capacity to broadcast sound and record high definition images.
The drones deployed are worth $5 000 to $6 000 each.
Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
