translated from Spanish: They delivered thermal visors to Carabineros to identify people with covid symptoms

The Intendent of the Metropolitan Region, Felipe Guevara, delivered on Tuesday to Carabineros a score of portable thermal viewfinders, which serve to detect people with covid-19 symptoms. The devices will be used by the uniformed police at the main crowd points of people in the capital, such as Metro stations, bus terminals or the Vega Central.At a cost of 94 million pesos, these 20 viewers will allow to support people in control since the lens captures the temperature of up to a maximum of 10 people simultaneously in a range 2 to 6 meters away. Intendent Felipe Guevara noted that “the idea is to be able to prevent. A lot of people tell us why there’s no more control at subway entrances and exits. Well, now we’re going to be able to control also at the airport, bus terminals. The idea is that if Carabineros detects a person with a temperature rise, which is the most important symptom of covid, he can stop him and check his sim card if that person’s data is present. Maybe that person should be quarantined because they’re with the virus, and if they’re not registered on the sim card they’re going to recommend having a PCR.” She added that “we are handing this state-of-the-art technology to the institution, and it is she who must determine where and at what time she uses them. These have a range of 8 hours, and the battery is recharged in just two hours, so it can be used throughout the carabinieri shift.” The head of the Carabineros Metropolitan Zone, General Marcelo Araya Zapata, thanked the delivery of this modern equipment and explained that “these thermal lenses allow the detection of people who have a higher temperature than usual. It is a technological tool that allows to anticipate, which is one of the many actions that are being taken to prevent this pandemic”. In the activity, carried out at the Manquehue Metro station, were also present the mayor of Las Condes, Joaquín Lavín, and the seremi de Salud, Paula Labra. The first noted that “these technological instruments are very useful. Especially at this time of year, where agglomerations occur. We are here at the busiest metro station in the entire MRI network, we will also be in the malls, and everywhere it is very slow or impossible to virtually measure the temperature one by one.” For its part, seremi Labra stressed that, while “the reversal in MRI has been a preventive measure, it involves a lot of effort on the part of the citizens and all the actors involved. That is why all the steps we take to help move back forward in the region are welcome.”

Original source in Spanish