With the Tamil Nadu government directing all persons who have returned from abroad after February 15 to strictly remain in self-quarantine, JioVio Healthcare, a Madurai-based start-up has launched a new feature in their existing Madurai Kavalan App to help the government fight COVID-19 by tracking all such individuals.
A screenshot from the Madurai Kavalan app
Launched on Sunday, the Corona feature is integrated in the app, which already has 50,000 users. Existing users are just required to update it. "The new Corona feature will monitor, track and assist all those who have been advised home or institution quarantine with GPS," says city engineer M Senthil Kumar, the founder of JioVio healthcare.
This feature is especially relevant now, with news of people escaping from quarantine: the latest case in point being a Dubai returnee who escaped from Chinna Udaippu isolation camp, near Madurai airport on Thursday, and travelled to Sivagangai on a bike borrowed from a friend purportedly to meet his girlfriend.
The new feature monitors self-quarantine patients with GPS technology, and provide users with round-the-clock real time updates. "Those who are found violating medical advice will be immediately sent a warning and the police will be informed, who will then go to the person's house to check and take necessary action," says Senthil.
- Senthil and his team have been providing tech-driven solutions to social and civic issues since 2014 with their apps such as Hello Collector and Swachch Madurai. The Madurai Kavalan app helps city residents to notify the police about their locked homes, lodge complaints and upload pictures of suspicious persons, unclaimed baggage or vehicles without having to visit the police station. It has contact details of police personnel in 62 units in the district and helps Madurai Police to prevent burglaries.
It also features a news feed, and help users identify fake news via daily listings of fake audio-visual clips being circulated on social media. Users can also send WhatsApp forwards to the team, via the app, to check their veracity.
The application was readied in a short span of 48 hours and requires the collaboration of district authorities. The District Collector has the name, addresses and phone numbers of all those who have been asked to stay in home quarantine and each of them have now been told to download the Madurai Kavalan app with all required details and a selfie.
The populations
"The police and other department staff and volunteers were under pressure to follow up on every quarantined person. This technology now makes it easier for them," adds Senthil.
There are nearly 15,500 people under home quarantine across Tamil Nadu.
A screenshot from the Madurai Kavalan app
Since the recent launch, 1500 new users have added to the app in Madurai. The already functional Theni Kavalan app with 4000 users, was relaunched with the new Corona feature by the District Collector today.
Also Cauvery Kavalan in Trichy with 11,000 users and NamKaval with 5500 users in Namakkal, will be relaunched with the new feature tomorrow.
In Thiruvannamalai and Krishnagiri, the district administration has agreed to launch the app as Q-Care (Quarantine Care). "Our teams are briefing the officials in these two districts and it should be done over the weekend," says Senthil.
"We are in talks with all the district authorities and hope to launch it across the State within a week," says Senthil, who is also in touch with the Kerala government for providing the technical support to configure the app's features in the back-end system.
"We are keen and open to collaborate with all other State governments, NGOs, hospitals and different departments that are involved in containing the pandemic," he adds.
For further information, queries and collaboration, write to hello@jiovio.com
