SPECIAL: Chinese facial recognition technology joins battle against COVID-19 in Argentina

A woman checks her body temperature through a thermographic camera from the Chinese company Hikvision, in the test phase, at the access turnstiles of the Retiro train station, in the city of Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, on July 16, 2020. Chinese facial recognition technology has become an ally of Argentina in the battle against the new coronavirus (COVID-19), by helping to respect measures such as social distancing and the use of masks , or controlling the body temperature of users before entering trains and buses. (Xinhua/Martin Zabala)

BUENOS AIRES, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese facial recognition technology has become an ally of Argentina in the battle against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), by helping to enforce measures such as social distancing and the use of masks, or controlling the body temperature of users before entering trains and buses.

This week, the Ministry of Transportation of Argentina, through the state company Trenes Argentinos Operaciones (TAO), began the testing stage of new technological control equipment at the access turnstiles to the central Miter Train Line, in the Terminal station located in the Retiro neighborhood, north of the Argentine capital.

In an interview with Xinhua, the manager of the Miter Line, Iván Kildoff, assessed this Thursday the technology used in the initiative, provided by the Chinese company Hikvision.

"This technology has the ability to detect if the person has symptoms of COVID-19, the temperature, and when the screen focuses on it, it can determine if the mask is on or not," said the official.

The devices have a thermal camera that allows remote temperature readings from 1.8 meters and, through video analytics, detects whether the person is using the chinstrap or mask correctly.

Kildoff explained that if the transport user does not wear the mask correctly, the turnstiles that allow entry to the platform area will not open, and the same in the case of verifying a high body temperature.

"If the temperature is not the right one, I would not be able to access the platform area to get on the train," said the official.

The Chinese technology is connected to a monitoring center and sends an alarm signal that activates a light or siren, and also allows capturing the face of people who have had high temperature readings, in order to track these cases .

"It is a test that lasts about 15 days and is scheduled to be carried out at intermediate stations. Today it is being carried out here in a head station, with a greater flow of passengers. If it works well in this one, which has a lot of passengers, it has to work on the others," Kildoff explained.

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The technology is added to other safety and hygiene elements established for public transport in Buenos Aires, reserved for workers who perform essential tasks, in order to protect users and also operators of the railway system.

The state company TAO launched the first protocols against COVID-19 on March 18, two days before the government of President Alberto Fernández established a mandatory quarantine that is valid, in principle, until Friday, March 17. July.

The efforts of the Argentine population have in this case the support of the Chinese video surveillance company Hikvision, present in more than 150 countries and regions, with research and development centers.

The firm has around 25,000 employees worldwide and saw its traditional business impacted by mobility restrictions caused by the pandemic, but managed to recover its sales by adapting technology to new needs within the framework of the global health situation.

The battle against COVID-19 in Argentina also includes the deployment of Chinese thermal imaging cameras to prevent the spread of the disease on buses in Buenos Aires, provided by the Chinese firm Dahua Technology.

The southern country recorded 114,783 cases as of Thursday night, of which 2,112 died and 49,120 recovered.

A man checks his body temperature through a thermographic camera from the Chinese company Hikvision, in the test phase, at the access turnstiles of the Retiro train station, in the city of Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, on July 16, 2020. Chinese facial recognition technology has become an ally of Argentina in the battle against the new coronavirus (COVID-19), by helping to respect measures such as social distancing and the use of masks, or controlling the body temperature of users before entering trains and buses. (Xinhua/Martin Zabala)

A woman checks her body temperature through a thermographic camera from the Chinese company Hikvision, in the test phase, at the access turnstiles of the Retiro train station, in the city of Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, on July 16, 2020. Chinese facial recognition technology has become an ally of Argentina in the battle against the new coronavirus (COVID-19), by helping to respect measures such as social distancing and the use of masks, or controlling the body temperature of users before entering trains and buses. (Xinhua/Martin Zabala)

A man checks his body temperature through a thermographic camera from the Chinese company Hikvision, in the test phase, at the access turnstiles of the Retiro train station, in the city of Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, on July 16, 2020. Chinese facial recognition technology has become an ally of Argentina in the battle against the new coronavirus (COVID-19), by helping to respect measures such as social distancing and the use of masks, or controlling the body temperature of users before entering trains and buses. (Xinhua/Martin Zabala)

A man checks his body temperature through a thermographic camera from the Chinese company Hikvision, in the test phase, at the access turnstiles of the Retiro train station, in the city of Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, on July 16, 2020. Chinese facial recognition technology has become an ally of Argentina in the battle against the new coronavirus (COVID-19), by helping to respect measures such as social distancing and the use of masks, or controlling the body temperature of users before entering trains and buses. (Xinhua/Martin Zabala)