From today and until the 3 April law enforcement and local police can use drones to control the movements of citizens on the territory. The green light came on Monday with an ENAC provision, the National Civil Aviation Authority. The objective of the measure is to find those who move without a valid reason, violating the rules of contrast to the coronavirus.
This means that municipalities equipped with drones will be able to use them, but also that mayors will be able to appoint private operators or associations to conduct patrol flights.
Drones can also be used by the authorities in areas hitherto forbidden to these devices, as long as they do not fly higher than 15 meters. Basically, ENAC establishes that drones can be used in cases where the pilot is able to maintain eye contact with the device at all times.
In reality, already several Municipalities from North to South they had started using drones to monitor the streets and catch those who did not respect the restrictions imposed to contain the infections.
According to data provided by the Ministry of the Interior, the police forces checked over 157 people throughout Italy on Monday. Of these, 10,326 were reported because they were caught circulating in violation of government decrees. In all, 212 people had misrepresented their self-certifications.
Drones had already been used in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the world's first coronavirus outbreak. In that case, however, the devices were used for two other purposes: to spread disinfectant around the city and to broadcast voice messages to the population, to remember to always wear a mask and wash your hands as much as possible. In South Korea, on the other hand, drones have been used mainly for control reasons, as is the case today in Italy. In Europe, the same devices are already being used to reduce the risk of coronavirus infection in France and Belgium.
