Chilean seniors look to the sky for medicine and masks

A drone from the municipality of the town of Zapallar delivers medicine to the elderly who are socially isolated due to efforts to prevent the spread the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), in Zapallar, Chile. — Municipality of Zapallar/Handout via Reuters

ZAPALLAR: The small Chilean beach enclave of Zapallar has turned to high-tech drones to deliver medications, masks and hand sanitizer to its elderly in remote areas as the coronavirus continues its advance across the largely rural South American nation.

A heavy-duty four-propeller drone, complete with landing gear, is loaded with a bag of supplies in the city center then blasts off across the parched, hilly landscape to reach areas that are as much as a two-hour walk from the nearest pharmacy.