The Role of Internet of Things (IoT) in the Containment and Spread of the Novel COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The novel COVID-19 pandemic is hitting the strongest economies in an unprecedented manner leading to the crippling of most economic sectors globally. Movement restriction order profoundly affected many industries, including manufacturing, transportation, aviation, education, tourism, and trade and investment, among others. The consequences resulted in people losing their jobs, corporate organizations and the Government experiencing a sharp drop in income and revenue. Similarly, the global crude oil market prices crash to the lowest rate of less than USD30/barrel. In recent times, the world has not witnessed a pandemic that threatened human existence without any sigh of relief as no cure has been found for the disease. The most effective recommended measure in containing the chain of transmitting the virus is through social distancing as a large gathering of people is highly discouraged. Internet of Things (IoT) alongside other related technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), drones, robotics, Big Data, and e-learning related technologies were found as platforms that can play a critical role in breaking the chain of the virus transmission. This study highlighted the role of IoT related technologies as a measure that enhances human-machine interaction, which supports the social distancing among people.