Containing the COVID-19 pandemic with drones - Feasibility of a drone enabled back-up transport system

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly altered common social and economic patterns as governments all over the world have been forced to take drastic measures to counter the spread of the disease. Among them, quarantine, the closure of borders, and social distancing are the ones that have affected transportation systems most severely. With the clear need to avoid all unnecessary direct human contact, an increased interest in contactless transportation and delivery modes emerged. Drones are a promising alternative in this regard, especially for the delivery of essential goods, such as COVID-19 viral tests. In this study, we therefore investigate how drones can be used to distribute viral tests to potentially infected patients. The novel approach that we propose is to use existing drone infrastructure to perform this task, where drones owned and operated by different public and private entities are retrofitted for the distribution of essential goods in the case of emergency. In a wider sense, we hence suggest the establishment of a drone enabled back-up transport system. Potential performance gains are analyzed through a mathematical time and cost model that was developed in close cooperation with the state Red Cross Organization and a utility drone manufacturer. Process design as well as parameter estimation are based on empirical investigation including, but not limited to, accompanying a COVID-19 mobile testing team in the field. The practical feasibility was verified by retrofitting drones initially assigned to other purposes. Additionally, policy recommendations, such as the establishment of public-public and public-private partnerships, were identified.