Surveillance systems in Tianjin have been updated to detect bus, taxi, and ride-hailing drivers who are not wearing face masks, a response to concerns that they could become superspreaders amid the current spike in COVID-19 cases in the region.
To allow for cameras in Tianjin to detect such drivers, the city’s traffic management department set up a database of drivers’ “relevant information,” local media reported. Once maskless drivers are detected, their companies will be prosecuted if they fail to rectify the situation. The new policy also noted that maskless passengers should be refused.
Tianjin borders Hebei, a hard-hit province with 463 cases as of Wednesday evening. Three cities in Hebei are currently under lockdown. On Wednesday, the province reported China’s first death due to COVID-19 since May.
