An Italian mayor has suggested using drones to shout profanities at people ignoring stay-at-home rules for the containment of the coronavirus outbreak.
"I can't wait for it... drones everywhere," Cateno De Luca, mayor of the town of Messina in Sicily, said in a video message posted on Facebook.
The drones will broadcast "my voice that will say as soon as I catch you, 'where the f*** are you going? Go back home!'. This will be the voice of the drone."
Italy's outbreak is concentrated in the north but there is concern that contagion cases could escalate in southern regions like Sicily if people do not respect social distancing.
Mayor Cateno De Luca wants drones to swear at anyone breaking stay-at-home rules. Source: Facebook
The country has been under lockdown since March 10.
People can leave home only if they cannot work remotely, to buy food, medicines or run other urgent errands.
On Tuesday, the government raised fines for those who flout stay-at-home orders to up to $5,430 or three months imprisonment.
The government also said anybody who does not go into quarantine after testing positive to the virus will face one to five years in prison.
