- “This virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities and this virus may never go away.” – WHO executive director Mike Ryan, May 13.
Vaccine or not, we have to come to terms with the reality that COVID-19 requires us to rethink how we live. And that includes the idea of smart cities that use advanced technologies to serve citizens. This has become critical in a time of pandemic.
Smart city solutions have already proved handy for curbing the contagion. Examples include:
- remote temperature monitoring systems.
- real-time heatmaps of crowding in public spaces.
- drones spraying disinfectants.
- robots acting as “safe-distance ambassadors.
The robot dog called SPOT is being trialled in Singapore to remind people to practice physical distancing.
But as we prepare to move beyond this crisis, cities need to design systems that are prepared to handle the next pandemic. Better still, they will reduce the chances of another one.
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