For the first time in the country, 'Smart Helmets' have been deployed for mass screening of suspect COVID-19 cases in Mumbai and Pune, the country's two worst-hit metro regions, officials said here on Friday.

The deployment in Mumbai's northern suburbs is part of the recent public-private-partnership initiative of BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) after the success achieved in Dharavi.

Imported from South Korea, the Smart Helmets have been provided by an NGO Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana (BJS), each costing Rs 6,00,000, taking the COVID-19 combat strategy to a new high-tech dimension, said BJS managing committee member Dr Neelu Jain.

"Each helmet is equipped with two cameras, an image camera in the front and a thermal camera on the side which can simultaneously screen 13 persons per minute," Dr Jain told IANS.

Earlier, the health teams used infrared thermal guns to check peoples' temperatures but it had limitations as it could screen around 200 persons in one hour.

However, the new portable Smart Helmets can screen up to 6,000 people per hour, provided they stand in a queue, making the process simpler and quicker, she said.

India's commercial and entertainment capital accounts for the country's highest 105,923 COVID-19 cases and 5,930 deaths till date.
 (IANS)