As Canada shifts towards returning to a new normal, temperature screening — an approach that uses a touchless scanner to measure a person’s body temperature — has been the subject of contention as a way to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
It’s easy to see its appeal. Temperature checks can be done anywhere, and results are instant. Two countries that have successfully flattened the rate of infection, New Zealand and Taiwan, are champions of using temperature screening to detect potential cases of COVID-19, of which fever is a symptom.
And the practice is picking up speed. In Canada, T&T Supermarket has begun offering temperature checks for customers entering its stores, which they say is to protect shoppers and employees.