19 November 2020
Passengers travelling through the Port of Poole will now benefit from enhanced security from the threat of COVID-19 with the installation of the VIRALERT 3 temperature screening system.
World-leading temperature monitoring expert, AMETEK Land, has partnered with Poole Harbour Commission who operate the port, and installed the VIRALERT 3 non-contact temperature screening system as part of providing increased protection against the spread of the virus.
VIRALERT 3 will work alongside existing strict procedures that the port has in place. The port continually monitors the latest government advice, which includes hand washing facilities, facial coverings and social distancing, as well as providing sanitiser stations and greater space for seating. Passengers and employees will be screened as they move through the departure lounge and into the restricted area before boarding.
The VIRALERT 3 is the first of its kind, providing a camera, thermal imager, and a temperature-controlled reference source on a single platform. Using automatic face detection, the system ensures a valid reading and provides a measurement that’s accurate to within 0.5oC/ 0.9oF. It then calculates core body temperatures through a rapid test procedure that takes less than two seconds.
Developed over 18 years by AMETEK Land experts, the VIRALERT 3 provides real-time infrared thermal imaging from a safe social distance. It is designed to screen passengers and staff for elevated skin temperature at an entry point without slowing the flow of people or the need for person-to-person contact. Audible and visual alarms alert when an elevated temperature is discovered.
Dave Laut, Safety & Security Manager at the port said: “An elevated temperature is one of three main symptoms of the virus. By screening the temperatures of the passengers, visitors, and employees passing through the terminal, we are reducing the risk of allowing someone who is infected onto a passenger ferry, cruise ship or cargo ship. Any person who is identified as having an elevated temperature will be treated in accordance with our current procedures.
“Should operators chose to use it for their customers, the system will provide us with an added level of security screening. We hope it will provide passengers and staff with that extra confidence in travel.”
Chris Leonard, Global Lead, Viralert said: “The VIRALERT 3 system is perfect for this kind of installation where there is a high level of traffic with people transiting through the port. It provides an effective solution for scanning people entering the departure lounge, reducing the risk of anyone carrying an infection onto the ships and into other countries, while protecting fellow passengers at the same time.”
The VIRALERT 3 builds on AMETEK Land’s proven expertise in temperature technology. The company has been developing high-accuracy infrared measurement instruments since 1947 and has been creating human body temperature screening systems since responding to the SARS outbreak of 2002.