Officials in some parts of rural China are employing the help of drones to watch over citizens and tell them to stay indoors, as the country faces an epidemic that has killed 361 people.

One video posted by the state-run Global Times newspaper shows a drone flying over villages in the Inner Mongolia region, with a voiceover giving orders to those below.

An elderly woman is seen looking baffled as the voice says “yes, aunty, this is the drone speaking to you. You shouldn’t walk about without wearing a mask.”

source abc.net.au

Walking around without a protective face mask? Well, you can’t avoid these sharp-tongued drones! Many village and cities in China are using drones equipped with speakers to patrol during the #coronavirus outbreak. pic.twitter.com/ILbLmlkL9R

— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) January 31, 2020