COVID-19 Crisis: Now Wristbands To Track Movement Of Quarantined Patients

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New Delhi: The Centre is planning to manufacture wristbands to track the movement of COVID-19 patients in quarantine and their body temperature.

The government-owned Broadcast Engineering Consultants India will design the the wristbands. The company will present the designs to hospitals and state governments next week and start manufacturing them with the help of startups.

“The wristbands are likely to be rolled out in May. They will be used to monitor the movements of quarantined patients, both at home and at hospitals, and any spikes in their body temperature. It will send an alert to public health officials if patients move outside their quarantine zone. The device will also have an emergency button that wearers can use to call for help,” the company’s chairman, George Kuruvilla, told the media.

Interestingly, the band could integrate the data captured in the ‘Aarogya Setu’ app (contact-tracing app of the government) and also indicate to people if they are in the proximity of an infected person.

A similar project has been carried out in Hong Kong where the bands were used to monitor overseas travelers.