Updated: Apr 13, 2020
Just when I thought I had a grasp on the horizontal distances we're required to observe during our RPAS operations, along comes another one. For the sake of our communities the Public Health Agency of Canada is recommending that we practice social distancing, and maintain a 2 metre distance from others. That certainly doesn't stop the drone community from coming together to help in the battle against COVID-19. While Draganfly has been contracted to help curb the pandemic in the US, both Drone Delivery Canada, and Unmanned Systems Canada have proactively engaged the RPAS and healthcare industries to understand how to best deploy our technology. See the stories below.
Canada's Draganfly
"Draganfly will integrate a breakthrough health diagnosis onto cameras and UAVs to combat coronavirus."
Courtesy of: https://www.gpsworld.com/draganfly-camera-and-uav-expertise-to-help-diagnose-coronavirus/
Drone Delivery Canada
"Drone Delivery Canada Reaches Out to Healthcare Industry for COVID-19 Related Drone Delivery Use Cases"
Courtesy of: https://dronedeliverycanada.com/resources/drone-delivery-canada-reaches-out-to-healthcare-industry-for-covid-19-related-drone-delivery-use-cases/
Unmanned Systems Canada
"USC-STC Launches Call to ACTION"
Courtesy of: https://www.unmannedsystems.ca/usc-stc-launches-call-to-action/
Let's Do Our Part
The first one isn't hard - Wash your hands, keep your distance, and avoid crowded places.
Protect your crew - If you are operating during this time think about how you're going to keep your crew safe. Brief on measures you'll take to keep a safe distance between yourselves and any possible bystanders. Think about supplies that you should be bringing on site like hand sanitizer or wipes. And think about ways to keep your equipment clean especially if you're switching out pilots. I can only image what a swab of our iPad screens or joysticks would reveal!
And finally - Heed the call of USC. If you think you could help, or have an idea as to how we might deploy this amazing technology...SPEAK UP!
Be safe!