The Gujarat government on Friday, 27 March, launched a mobile application to monitor the movement of those who have been asked to follow home quarantine for suspected exposure to the novel coronavirus.
The Geographic Information System (GIS)-based app was launched in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Vadodara and Rajkot, and the Municipal Corporation of Surat is already using the application to keep track of 3,600 home-quarantined people in the city, Gujarat’s Principal Secretary (Health), Jayanti Ravi, said.
“Apart from GIS mapping, the app is equipped with “Geo Fencing’’ to alert the authorities if the person moves away from a specific area. It will help us track the movements of around 20,000 persons who are under home quarantine.”Jayanti Ravi, Principal Secretary (Health)
Notably, the Gujarat police have so far lodged complaints against 298 persons for violating home quarantine.
“Around 3,600 home-quarantined persons in Surat have been asked to install ‘SMC COVID-19 Tracker’ on their smartphones. The app helps us track and collect latest information about people who are home-quarantined. It has also helped us monitor their health.”Banchhanidhi Pani, Municipal Commissioner
After installing the app, the user is required to declare her/his current location and travel history.
Then, every hour, the user is required to push a button called "Send Location" to update the government on their whereabouts. If the user is found to have moved out of house or the specified area, s/he is sent to institutional quarantine.
Users have to fill up a simple form twice a day, giving information about symptoms such as fever, cough and difficulty breathing. They also have to upload photos daily to help doctors assess them remotely.
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