Dubai Police test fever-scanning helmet cameras for patrol officers

The devices can detect raised body temperature

Dubai Police tested a helmet fitted with a thermal imaging camera that allows officers to scan the public for signs of coronavirus.

The force released a video of an officer walking through a bus station, testing the temperature of passengers by looking at them.

His device appeared to work in the same way as the thermal scanners that have been used in airports to spot the signs of fever. They have since been rolled out in supermarkets and other public places.

Dubai's ambulance service released footage of a paramedic wearing a similar helmet that could help analyse potential patients.

A body temperature of above 38C is regarded as a significant fever. About 36.5C-37.5C is considered normal.

The slow-motion video was posted on Instagram by Lt Gen Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, deputy head of general security in Dubai.

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UPDATE: On Wednesday, Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, approved use of the smart helmet to be used across the UAE.

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In other developments, Dubai Police said its officers handed out warnings, and in some cases fines, to 2,527 people in recent days for breaching the stay-home order.

That included 2,076 warnings and eight fines to residents for leaving their homes "without necessity nor for work purposes nor buying essentials".

A further 204 warnings and one fine was issued to drivers who had more than three people in their vehicle – the maximum imposed as part of current travel restrictions.

And 233 warnings and five fines were given to those who failed to wear medical masks while inside public areas and for ignoring rules on minimum social distancing.

Dubai residents who wish to leave their home at any time of day must first apply for a permit through this portal.

Frontline heroes in fight against Covid-19 - in pictures

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Emirati Aysha Al Blooshi is an advanced paramedic and her colleague Marwan Al Mansoori, from Yemen, is an emergency responder. Both work at the Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services. Leslie Pableo for The National