From food to tech, Covid-19 to spur urban planning rethink

A robot with a dispenser for hand sanitiser goes around a shopping complex as the country is hit by an outbreak of the novel coronavirus, in Shanghai, China. Countries including China, South Korea and Singapore are using robots, drones and big data to track the outbreak, disinfect hospitals and deliver supplies. — Reuters

BANGKOK: The coronavirus pandemic sweeping across the planet will force city authorities and planners to more seriously consider factors such as population density, technology, food security and inadequate housing, urban experts said.

As of March 18 morning the outbreak, termed Covid-19, had infected about 200,000 people worldwide and killed roughly 8,000, according to a global tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.