Our world has changed no doubt but is it fear, or the fantasy of our vulnerability, or both, that has made us weak in our knees?
by Victor Cherubim
Given the fluid nature of our current environment and our being bombarded with fresh evidence and scientific opinion by a variety of disciplines, some of which is unproven, some much to our surprise is contradictory, it leaves us a long way from understanding how to make sense of reality.
We are told everything today is on trial. People were told years ago that they should not cover their faces, or wear the hijab or the niqab, as it contravened practices and customs of western society.
We were warned and scared of the “hoodies” or so it seems, as they were the “undesirable hoodlums” even though they as much as others, are both part of the human race, but deprived of the means of livelihood.
We were kept in awe of scientists, who were a special breed, always questioning everything, including the supernatural, now suddenly, even the so called “evangelists”
want usto believe they are “one of us?”
What really has happened to us or to society?
Our world has changed no doubt, but is it fear, or the fantasy of our vulnerability, or both, that has made us weak in our knees?
One minute we are warned, we must keep “social distance” because of the pandemic, the next minute, we are suddenly discreetly informed that there have been “thermal imaging” cameras installed at all frontline organisations, such as public places, hospitals, public transport and some supermarkets, businesses, perhaps, overriding the above mandatory guidelines.
A flurry of product launches, well before outbreak of COVID-19 did bring “Thermal Imaging” into the mainstream of living. We are informed Honeywell released this technology and called it “Thermo Rebellion” proposition which brought together thermal imaging cameras with artificial intelligence (AI). This was to bring in and identify temperature across building entrances for management. Medical technology firm Dragerwerk AG, an international leader, in the field of medical and safety technology, based in Lubek, Germany, had not only implemented thermal cameras at the entrance of its HQ. but also made and supplied breathing and protection equipment and non-invasive patient monitoring technology worldwide for years. Ninewells Hospital in Dundee,Scotland had installed plans to deploy thermal cameras to scan outpatients. It is trialling two versions of thermal scan at its main entrance – a walk through bodyscanner and a camera which measures temperature from the skin on the face, with scant publicity. Thermal cameras have their limitations. What it does it will trigger an alarm if someone has an elevated temperature. There is also a question mark whether firms or businesses or trading establishments are flouting local privacy laws, which soon someday, will be challenged in courts.
There are many, many more instances to elucidate, but it seems either we are being frightened into acceptance under severe penalties or that like the pandemic “anything goes,”and everything must be tried out? Blame science for our indolence?
“What in the name of technology has gone awry?”
Before COVID-19, temperature or fever screening cameras were confined to airports in some parts of East Asia. Today, this technology called “thermal screening” is rapidly expanding across Europe, U.S and in faraway New Zealand. Was this one reason why New Zealand had few, if “Nix” casualties?
Technology beats man?
What most firms are now doing is to test the effectiveness of thermal screening before rolling it out at scale.
Even the BBC is offering voluntary temperature checks to its staff at its White City, London offices.
Why do I say, even the BBC? The use of thermal screening may be claimed as a deterrent, but according to some researchers, trials have to be run to capture data and its success rate within each sector of business have to reach an optimum effective standard.
Most cameras require 30 second to 2 minutes of scanning time to gain an accurate reading and as customers, travellers don’t walk past at this pace, social distancing is the technical way of capturing this data, which is what the manufacturers told governments and which governments disguised it in plain talk to the ordinary public.
The procedure is ineffective at busy times and terminals, as we gather, this “2-metre” magic distance figure cannot be maintained? Can you control or can technology control man?
They is always a way to fool the public, but according to WHO, 1 in 5 people infected with Coronavirus are mild or asymptomaticresulting in many silent carriers and somehow beat technology and escape this diagnostic temperature check of the body testing.
The other form of testing through a nasal and/or throat swab can accurately determine if a person has the virus or not after testing. The main barrier to this form of test, is the quality, reliability, and capacity of the Test agency’s result. These Test Centres are in short supply and further take time, at least over 24 hours for the conclusive result.
When can we accept technology to rule man’s ingenuity?
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