Drones are the latest tool being employed by authorities to enforce Covid-19 measures in Mazatlán, Sinaloa.

In tourist areas of the city such as the beaches and the boardwalk the remote control aircraft circle overhead from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. playing prerecorded messages to remind visitors to keep a safe distance from one another and to wear face masks.

The deployment was driven by a rise in Covid-19 cases over the past three weeks, which has seen a number of municipalities including Mazatlán go red on the coronavirus stoplight risk map just before the holiday season comes into full swing.

Eloy Ruíz Gastelum, head of Civil Protection in Mazatlán, said the drones are a great help, since in the summer holiday season a large influx of local, regional, national and foreign visitors is expected.

He added that the new technology would be used to watch over swimmers and provide a faster response to emergencies in the water. Sanitary checkpoints to conduct temperature checks are being installed on weekends in the busiest tourist areas.

With reports from El Universal