Noida, Apr 3 (IANS): In an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the Uttar Pradesh government has ordered the Noida administration to deploy drone cameras for monitoring the Friday prayers in the city mosques.

Recently, the number of Covid-19 cases in India soared to over 2,000, fuelled largely by infections linked to the March Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi that emerged as the biggest domestic source of the disease in the country.

A video went viral last Friday, that shows a large congregation offering prayers in mosques here in Sector 16. Soon after that the state government decided to deploy drones at these religious sites to see that social distancing is maintained.

A large number of police personnel were deployed outside the Sector 8 Jama Masjid and the Sector 31 Nithari village mosque.

Police Commissioner of Gautam Budh Nagar, Alok Kumar Singh said that "People can be monitored in many areas and action can be taken against those who break the rules."

"Drones will help us a lot and it will be easier to keep surveillance in the areas while the police forces in the residential areas are deployed to prevent any untoward incident,", Singh added.