Etihad Airways, supported by Australian company Elenium Automation, will start the first test by the end of April. This new contactless technology will help to identify such symptoms as temperature, heart and respiratory rate of medical conditions like COVID-19.
Etihad will start the trial at Abu Dhabi’s Airport in April 2020 and it will continue during May. Initially, the tests will be carried out with the help of volunteers, and, as flights resume, outbound passengers. Through this automated health screening, passengers are expected to return to travel sooner.
The system works with voice recognition, which means no touch of surfaces with viruses or bacteria. The system will then alert qualified staff on-site, which can provide further verification of travelers. The self-service technology can be installed at various points in the airport, including check-in, bag drop, security and immigration gates.
As Jorg Oppermann, Vice President Hub and Midfield Operations of Etihad Airways highlighted, “This technology is not designed or intended to diagnose medical conditions”. “It is an early warning indicator which will help to identify people with general symptoms, so that they can be further assessed by medical experts, potentially preventing the spread of some conditions to others preparing to board flights to multiple destinations.”
Novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2, also known as COVID-19) is a new strain of coronavirus which is causing illness in humans and animals. Most people infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus will feel mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without any special treatment. Older people, as well as those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, cancer or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness, and require immediate assistance. Novel Coronavirus was first identified in a cluster with pneumonia symptoms in Wuhan city, Hubei province of China, quickly spreading around the world. On early March 2020, the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic had officially started, becoming the defining global health crisis of our time. Today, it is the greatest challenge people have faced since World War II, worsened by subsequent lockdowns of whole countries, collapse of entire industries, and a major economic recession.