As schools look to safely reopen in a COVID-19 world, security professionals are weighing the implementation of a range of options to help keep students and staff safe and reduce the spread of the highly contagious virus.
With social distancing requirements, stringent cleaning protocols and capacity limitations as part of plans to safely reopen, more and more schools are recognizing that technology will also play a critical role in helping to identify individuals who may have the virus before that person even enters the premises.
Thermal imaging systems are emerging as a solution to proactively detect an elevated temperature in visitors or employees prior to entering a school building.
One low cost but effective practice is to ensure that the school’s existing electronic access control system – including cameras, card readers, keypads, and any biometric sensors – are programmed so that individuals are directed only to those entrances which employ temperature screening devices. This prevents them from bypassing the temperature screening protocol.
Meanwhile, technology in these areas is rapidly evolving, including development and rollout of fully integrated systems which incorporate access control, video monitoring, thermal screening, and support for contact tracing.
From the trade journal Security Sales & Integration:
“Systems that provide a variety of alerting capabilities can provide a high level of flexibility for organizations incorporating elevated skin temperature into their new health and safety operations. While a vast majority of users will deploy a thermal solution with local monitoring, alerting and response, some systems also feature integrations with video management systems (VMS) for remote monitoring and management. VMS integration can also prove a valuable tool for automated contagion reporting for contact tracing,”
Installing thermal imaging cameras for scanning elevated skin temperatures is gaining in popularity as more schools look to return to the classroom. The Education Market experts at Sonitrol Great Lakes have been protecting schools for more than 50 years, and can recommend, install and maintain the right products to keep school buildings safe and healthy. Contact us to learn more.