By: Mr. Abhishek Kumar, Regional Director, South Asia, Onvu Tech.
Though wearing a facemask during work was not a new phenomenon for Rajesh Mishra, things were a bit different this time. A lathe machine operator in Ghaziabad, Rajesh now had to wear a facemask at all times during his work hours. In addition, a face shield (a helmet-like protective gear), hand gloves, and safe distancing measures were a part of the new norm at the factory premises.
However, this novel experience is not exclusively experienced by Rajesh Mishra or his peers at the factory. Several others are also operating in this ‘new normal’. The long list includes chefs at restaurants, sales agents at retail outlets, professionals in the IT industry, and even the warehouse staff preparing your online orders for a speedy delivery.
Mandatory Screening: Moving beyond the dogma of ‘Stay Home, Stay Safe’
It has now been over 6 months since the first case of COVID-19 was detected in China’s Hubei province. And, it seems the world is now a completely different place. India’s first case can itself be traced back to 30th of January, 2020 followed close on heels by second and third cases on 2nd and 3rd February, 2020. All of these cases were diagnosed in students returning from Wuhan, China. The month of February passed with a relative calm despite Indian nationals being airlifted from China and Japan.
However, March was not going to be so forgiving in India. By the 2nd of March, two detected cases from non-airlifted zones buzzed the alarm bell for the nation. This was because these cases had reportedly come in contact with tens, and possibly hundreds, of people – who, by this point, could’ve come in contact with a similar number of people. There was no turning point from then and there. By 15th of March, 100 cases were confirmed in India, the passenger land border crossing was suspended by 16th, and a 21-day nationwide lockdown announced on 24th of March (and come into effect from 25th of March).
‘Stay Home, Stay Safe’ became the new mantra for the entire nation of 1.4 billion people. The government announced a Rs. 1.7 trillion stimulus package to help the people and the economy. The distribution of food packages also started at an enormous scale nationwide. Despite strict lockdowns, the outbreak continued in India and with it, lockdown extensions also sustained. The first deadline of lockdown was postponed from 14th April to 3rd of May and then till 31st of May with certain relaxations in every successive phase.
India is a classic case of restraint at such a massive scale. Despite being home to about 1.4 billion people, the nation currently stands at 7th position in terms of total cases with about 200,000 cases. In terms of total deaths, it is a distant 13th with about 5,500 deaths. However, even a single loss of life is a loss too much. Now, as people, like Rajesh, head back to work, ensuring superior safety protocols at our workplaces has become a pressing need of the hour for us. The past few months have demonstrated how even a handful of cases can snowball in a relatively short span of time. The second wave of coronavirus, whose strong possibility is also pointed out by the World Health Organization, is something that our country and its businesses can barely put up with.
So, precautionary measures – including face masks, face shields, gloves, and safe distancing – have now become imperative at our workplaces. What’s even more imperative is to ensure that these measures are being followed by everyone at all times without fail.
Surveillance in the Cloud: The deployment of Video Analytics solutions
It is impossible for any human to constantly track all employees at a workplace – even using surveillance cameras with no-blind spots. Thankfully, we have video analytics technology at our disposal today.
The IP-driven security and surveillance cameras are proving to be a game-changer in the modern scenario. They can proactively identify various use cases in a video feed including safe distancing norms and making sure that all professionals are equipped with protective gears. The solution can flag any incident of a violation, even if multiple incidents occur simultaneously at various locations, and alert the designated person about the same. The relevant precautionary measures can then be taken as per the situation. They can also be programmed to ensure that all employees and visitors to the premises are scanned for body temperatures at the entry points, thereby minimizing the chances of potential contact.
Perhaps, video-analytics-based solutions will have to become an integral part of our ‘new normal’. It will ensure that there is no resurgence of coronavirus in due course of time. Such deployments will further serve as an added layer of security for our employees, customers, and the business continuity itself. Lastly, they will unlock superior business analytics and improve our business efficiency in the long run. So, they have a far-reaching advantage that goes beyond their current use case of mandatory screening. Should these solutions be timely deployed or overlooked? Food for thought!
