Buenos Aires, April 18 (RHC)-- Argentina's capital Buenos Aires on Thursday installed its first network of infrared cameras to help contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Also known as thermographic cameras, the devices can detect from a distance whether a person is suffering from fever, one of the main symptoms caused by the virus that can lead to pneumonia.  The cameras were installed at the entrance to a major public transit terminal in the south of the city, Constitucion Station, where commuters can switch between the subway, train system and bus service.

At a ceremony unveiling the cameras, Buenos Aires Mayor Horacio Rodriguez Larreta called the surveillance system "a new device for taking care of the people."  "Today we are incorporating the first of these fever detectors, which can take the temperature of everyone who enters and exits Constitucion Station, the principal gateway to the city of Buenos Aires," said Rodriguez.

According to the local government, those detected to have a fever will be taken aside for a second reading with a thermometer.  If fever is verified, the person may be required to return home for self-care.

The cameras are correct within 0.3 degrees centigrade, and can register the temperatures of up to 50 people at a time.  More will be installed in the coming days at other transit terminals.

Argentina has reported 2,571 cases of COVID-19 infection, 648 of them in Buenos Aires.