Commuters and health experts are arguing about the efficacy of thermal scanning devices -- a Covid-19 safety tool -- used at the Metro stations across the city.
The device, which reveals the temperature of a passenger, helps to detect fever-like symptoms.
As they enter, passengers have to keep their palms close to the thermal scanner. A green light from the machine means easy access for the commuter whereas a red light is a signal for temperature higher than normal. If any passenger falls under the red light then they are directed to a government hospital for a check-up.
Anagha Sheshadri, a daily commuter, said the thermal scanning device isn’t completely reliable. “I was recently worried when the machine stopped working and the officials took quite some time to fix it. This led to crowding. Such an incident should be taken care of by providing a backup,’’ she explains.
The machine provides accurate results as it is electrically operated and is based on infrared technology.
Bharat Govind Gautam, another frequent commuter, said he had his reservations about the procedure. “Most of the young people below 18 years are likely to be asymptomatic. So does the temperature result really matter?,” he asked. Dr Chetan Kumar NG, pulmonologist, found the usage of the device futile. “Hardly 15 to 20% of Covid patients have fever. Also, the patient should have the spike of fever when the thermal scanning is done for the device to record accurate results. Even if a person has Covid-19, there are high chances that his or her fever will show a normal level. Apart from this, the distance (without touching) at which the temperature is being measured also affects the accuracy to some extent,” he reasoned.
Chetan felt the BMRCL should keep it simple. “Measures like social distancing, wearing masks and limiting the number of people on the train are much more effective than thermal scanners,” he says.