A fleet of 60 drones has been deployed in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou to keep people indoors and remind those going out to wear masks.
China has largely stamped out cases of local COVID-19 transmission, but Guangzhou has seen a flare-up of the more infectious delta variant of the virus, initially discovered in India.
China reported 34 new COVID-19 cases on June 12, down from 35 cases a day earlier, the country's national health authority said on Sunday.
Of the new cases, six were local transmissions, versus eight the previous day, the National Health Commission said. All of the local cases were in southern Guangdong province.
The six new cases reported in Guangzhou brought the number in the city’s outbreak to more than 100.
The police-operated drones carry cameras and broadcast messages to people venturing outdoors that they and others are best protected by staying inside.
The flying unmanned vehicles add to an already dense layer of monitoring including cellphone health confirmations, temperature checks and quarantines for those living in or travelling to areas where the risk of infection is considered high.
Gungzhou has isolated several neighborhoods, restricted travel out of the city and the surrounding province and shuttered cinemas and other indoor entertainment venues.
The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in mainland China now stands at 91,428, while the death toll remains unchanged at 4,636.
