Petrobras workers during a February 2020 protest. Photo: FUP
In order to avoid mass contamination and improve prevention protocols, Brazilian state-owned oil company Petrobras created a GPS-based app to detect when workers risk breaching mandatory 1.5-meter social distancing rules.
Petrobras hopes the app will make it easier to identify Covid-19 infections and contain in-company spreads.
Earlier this year, the company was investigated by labor prosecutors after recording over 800 Covid-19 cases among staff members — especially those working on oil platforms.
A recent study by medical research institute the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation showed that Petrobras’ Covid-19 contamination rate reached 4,448 cases per 100,000 people on October 16 — much higher than the national average, which stands at 2,060 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Technology has been an ally in tracking and containing the coronavirus spread in Brazil — despite raising questions about whether states are going “too far” in monitoring citizens.
On the flip side, the pandemic could help Brazil consolidate a shift to e-government, as online demand for public services has skyrocketed this year.
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