Mohali police launch Covid Control App

Tribune News Service

Mohali, April 5

In the wake of Covid-19 threat and to better align the systemic response to the newer and bigger challenges to public health and safety, the district police led by SSP Kuldeep Singh Chahal, nodal officer, DSP Amroz Singh and IT Consultant Avinash Sharma have launched Covid Control App (Android) using the technological and latest cutting edge innovations.

Senior Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Singh Chahal, Nodal Officer Amroz Singh and IT consultant Avinash Sharma launched the app.

SSP Chahal said the mobile application has been developed to identify and mark quarantined areas and people by using geo-fencing technology. He said it would be mandatory for the people under quarantine to download the app on their mobile phones which will make easier for the health and police department to track the quarantined users through their mobile phone number location with the help of telecom service providers and geo-fencing them for strict enforcement of quarantine. Any lapse or unauthorised movement will be immediately alerted via a message to both the administration control room as well as the person concerned, he added.

Chahal said every quarantined user will be fenced within 500-metre radius of his place of quarantine and the quarantined user would have to upload a selfie every hour and system will update their location when they upload the selfie. The system will match their quarantined location and the location from where they uploaded the selfie, he said.

The SSP warned that if any quarantined user breaches the geo-fence, he/she will get a warning message and the administration will get a alert in the control room that user has jumped the geo-fence.

He further said the police control room will be alerted even in case phone is turned off and penal action will be taken against the user.

He said the general public soon can login to this application and they will be able to see all “Red zones” and quarantined or infected areas live on the app. He said the people will also get the notification, if they enter such infected area and alert will be sent in their notification area.

A 24x7 control room has been set up near the Phase 8 police station with a dedicated team to monitor the quarantined persons and bring the violations to the notice of the concerned police station, he added.

He further said that WhatsApp groups have been formed at police station level for immediate redressal of issues incorporating local Saanjh team, police team and representatives of society to raise genuine queries and troubleshoot at the local level. He said any issue which is beyond the scope of group will be redressed at the district level.

Police helpline numbers (8872090029, 01722920074, 01722270091) have been set up to resolve issues related to the lockdown through direct intervention.

Uses geo-fencing technology

• Every quarantined user will be fenced within 500-m radius of his place of quarantine and the quarantined user will have to upload a selfie every hour and system will update their location when they upload the image. The system will match their quarantined location and the location from where they uploaded the selfie.
• SSP Kuldeep Singh Chahal warned that if any quarantined user breaches the geo-fence, he/she will get a warning message and the administration will also get a alert in the control room that user has jumped the geo-fence. He said the police control room will be alerted even if the phone is turned off and action will be taken against the user.