Official publication of Academy of health Research and Medical Education (AHRME) 109 | Page Use of fingerprint biometric in the workplace during COVID times ISSN 2394–806X (Print), ISSN 2454-5139 (Online) International Journal of Health Research and Medico-Legal Practice Open access full-text article Available at www.ijhrmlp.org RAPID COMMUNICATION Use of fingerprint biometric in the workplace during COVID times: a critical viewpoint Cite this article: Yadukul S, Pragnesh Parmar, Prashanth Mada, Reddy DP, Srirambhatla Annapurna. Use of fingerprint Biometric in the workplace during COVID times: a critical viewpoint . Int J Health Res Medico Leg Prae 2021 Jan- Jun;7(1):109-111. Doi: 10.31741/ijhrmlp.v7.i1.2021.21. Recognition of a person based on his or her physiological characteristics is known as Biometrics. Biometric systems have been widely used before the inception of computers in human activities. These systems make use of the physical or biological traits of human beings for recognition and authentication purposes. The most commonly used natural features or characteristics are fingerprints, iris, and face. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, most educational institutions, IT companies, Government and private offices used biometric fingerprint systems to mark attendance or access into restricted areas. Fingerprint recognition is a secure and convenient technology that has become common and widespread, not only in the workplace, smartphones, but also in our daily activities. However, the recent global outbreak of COVID-19 concerns the safety of fingerprint authentication, as touching the sensors can potentially spread viruses. In addition, surfaces in general public places such as supporting handles in buses and trains, elevators buttons, ATMs, door handles, etc., can act as fomites for spreading the virus. In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, numerous news articles have claimed the risk of spreading the infection via these commonly touched surfaces. In this paper, we discuss the actual risk of transmission of COVID-19 through fingerprint biometrics and explore alternative biometric methods which can be used during the COVID- 19 pandemic. Keywords: Biometric; fingerprint; COVID-19. Yadukul S 1 , Pragnesh Parmar 2 , Prashanth Mada 3 , Reddy DP 4 Srirambhatla Annapurna 5 1 Associate Professor (Corresponding author) Email: yadukul.mysuru@gmail.com , 2 Additional Professor, 3 Assistant Professor, 4 Senior Resident Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, 5 Associate Professor of Radiodiagnosis, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bibinagar, Hyderabad-26, India. Received on: May 28, 2021 Editorial approval on: June, 11, 2021 Plagiarism checked: Yes Peer review process: Blinded Peer review comments: Four Editor who approved: Prof. Putul Mahanta INTRODUCTION Fingerprint recognition is a secure and convenient technology that has become common and widespread, not only in smartphones but in our everyday lives as well. 1 Biometric time clocks have become increasingly popular among many organisations as they heighten security and add convenience. 2 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a potentially severe acute respiratory infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). 3 On March 11, 2020, WHO (World Health Organization) declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a Pandemic. 4 The clinical presentation is that of a respiratory infection ranging from a mild common cold-like illness to severe viral pneumonia leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome that is potentially fatal. The three possible modes of transmission, (as shown in Figure 1) of the virus recognised are suspended particles (bioaerosols), droplets, and surface contact. 5 It can get transmitted through direct or indirect contact of a healthy individual with a COVID-19 infected individual through his secretions like saliva or respiratory droplets released during coughing, sneezing, or talking. The size of respiratory droplets is usually larger than 5 µm, and thus, they tend to settle down after travelling a short distance of 1-2 meters in a short time. 6 Even during this pandemic situation, many institutions are