It’s Memorial Day weekend, and much of the United States has lifted COVID-19 mask mandates. Across the country, people are celebrating mask free, but still cautiously. The World Health Organization reports that nearly 1.8 billion COVID vaccines have been administered worldwide, and infection rates are continuing to decline. The WHO still wants people to be aware of protecting themselves, using the best judgment possible. Even though much of the world has reached a positive turning point in the pandemic, there are still infection hot spots. Most noticeably has been an extreme infection rate racing through India since March 2021.

With more than 400,000 new cases reported in May, India has officially had the worst COVID-19 outbreak in history. Many factors have led to the staggering infection and death rate in India. As the second most populous country in the world, which also has a vast poverty rate, people are simply unable to socially distance themselves. Hospitals are completely overrun. Access to medication, personal protection equipment, vaccines, and oxygen is abysmally low. Throughout the country, mass funeral pyres have made the air quality worse than ever in a country known for extreme air pollution.

In Telangana, home to more than 35 million people, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has implemented a strict quarantine lock down to curb the spread of COVID-19. In helping to ensure the public observes all lock down parameters, Chief Minister Rao has also authorized the use of drones that proved very useful in crowd control last year in other countries. In Suryapet, a city about 83 miles east of Telangana’s capital, Hyderabad, police have already begun using drones to monitor and control crowds.

The drones are equipped with cameras, speakers, and sirens. Using the drone’s camera, if a police officer sees anyone in violation of COVID lock down regulations, they can either give a verbal warning through the speaker or set off the siren as a warning. The benefits of this are plentiful. The first being that police officers can help control the spread of the virus without putting themselves in harm’s way. The drone is a perfect social distancing solution. Another benefit is that when people know that there is a possibility of a drone flying over them, they will be more conscientious of their actions. Using the drones also show the people of India, and the global community, that the Indian government is stepping up to the plate to try and tackle this pandemic.

Crowd control is not the only way drones will be used to help India’s COVID crisis.  Gavi, the global vaccine alliance, has teamed up with a consortium of vaccine and drone delivery companies to begin bringing medication and other critical supplies to rural Indian communities. “With every dose of the COVID-19 vaccine being so important, it is critical to ensure that countries have the support and tools to deliver vaccines effectively and efficiently to those who need them,” said Moz Siddiqui, head of Gavi’s private sector partnerships and innovation. “Drones enable us to supplement more traditional delivery systems. They are a great, unique solution to a problem faced by multiple countries.”

Global aid has begun to flow into India making it possible for the country to have access to what they need. Drone companies like Zipline, Sky Air Mobility, Med-Express, Blue Dart, and Dunzo are all preparing to make drone deliveries throughout Telangana. The Ministry of India has granted each company a 6 day window to test out the drone delivery program. The entire trial is set to be completed within 24 days and should begin within the next week. The goal is to deliver 10,000 vials of vaccines and test the validity of a medical drone delivery system in a country as congested as India.