A similar method was used by the authorities in Karnataka, though the app there was developed by the state government itself
In a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus in Chhattisgarh's Janjgir-Champa district, police authorities have developed a mobile application in collaboration with a Noida-based startup to be installed on every home-quarantined person's mobile phone.
In a repeat of what Karnataka had done earlier, the authorities have asked the person to post a selfie every hour on the app. According to a report by Hindustan Times, the app also helps police in keeping surveillance, since it sends out an alert in case one of the persons moves out of the stipulated limit of 200 meters from his/her home.
"A special team has developed a new mobile application. If the home-quarantined people turn off their phone or location or internet connection, the app sends out an alert to a local police station," a press release by the state government said. It also added that there are over 7,000 people under home quarantine in the district, many of them having returned from countries affected by coronavirus.
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"We are planning to extend the use of this mobile application to other districts in Bilaspur range," Dipanshu Kabra, inspector-general of police, Bilaspur range told the newspaper. Another police official told the newspaper that the tracking will automatically end after the quarantine period of the person is over.
According to the report, the police authorities and medical teams have been trained to use the app. A similar method was used by the authorities in Karnataka, though the app there was developed by the state government itself.
The Karnataka government had said if the home-quarantined person fails to send an hourly update in the form of a selfie, he or she might be shifted to a government-created mass quarantine centre.
In Maharashtra, too, the government has started using an app called MahaKavach to track specific suspected COVID-19 cases. The app, officials had said, would not be accessible to everyone but only designated officers.
Chhattisgarh government has said there is only one active case of coronavirus in the state, while all the others have recovered and been discharged.
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