Dubai police forces will use helmets equipped with thermal technology to detect the temperatures of people using public transport as part of the emirate's measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

A video posted online by the Dubai government on April 14 showed the police transport department's security personnel wearing the helmet.

Obaid al-Hathboor, director of the police Transportation Security Department, said the helmet scans the temperature of public transport users with high efficiency, according to al-Emirate al-Youm newspaper.

He added that it has other artificial intelligence technologies such as face recognition and car number reading technology.

The announcement comes one day after the director of Dubai's ambulance services, Khalifa bin Dray, said that paramedics will be wearing a smart helmet to detect suspected coronavirus cases.

The helmet measures the patient's temperature and sends the information to the paramedic's mobile phone.

Bin Dray said the helmet also increases safety among paramedics who are the first point of contact with the cases.

On April 4, Dubai imposed a two-week lockdown, only allowing supermarkets and pharmacies to operate in the emirate.

The United Arab Emirates - to which Dubai belongs - has registered more than 4,500 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 25 deaths.

 - dpa