An army of drones has been deployed in China to spray disinfectant over villages and cities that have been hit by coronavirus.

It is thought that the airborne devices are currently being used in the coastal provinces of Jilin, Shandong and Zhejiang.

Footage has captured the drones hovering several metres above the ground as disinfectant liquid is sprayed from the underside of each machine.

It is hoped that the disinfectant will prevent the killer virus from spreading further although it is not yet known how effective this will be.

One villager in the city of Heze, Shandong, offered his personal drone which was used to disinfect an area of 16,000 square metres (172,000 square feet) in a single morning.

The unmanned aerial vehicles are proving to be a much faster method of delivering public hygiene than traditional means either on foot or by lorry.

An army of drones has been deployed in China to spray disinfectant over villages and cities that have been hit by coronavirus. It is thought that the airborne devices are currently being used in the coastal provinces of Jilin, Shandong and Zhejiang

Similarly, agricultural and police patrol drones have been repurposed in China's south-western Sichuan Province to release disinfectant in areas not otherwise easily accessible such as roofs, gardens, skyscrapers and gated communities.

Crop protection officer Qin Chunhong, from the village of Longfu, Sichuan, reportedly disinfected his village on January 30 using his own drone.

He said: 'Drones can cover a much wider area and achieve very good disease prevention results.

Individual drones can be used to disinfect area of 16,000 square metres in a single morning which make it a much faster method of delivering public hygiene than traditional means either on foot or by lorry

'As disinfectant is harmless to humans, it doesn't affect anyone's daily life.'

At least 213 people with the virus are now confirmed to have died and more than 9,800 have been infected in at least 24 countries and regions – a death rate of around two per cent.

The respiratory disease presenting with similar symptoms to pneumonia is now a global health crisis, the World Health Organization declared yesterday.

The respiratory disease presenting with similar symptoms to pneumonia is now a global health crisis, the World Health Organization declared yesterday. Pictured: Drone operators preparing to launch the device

The highly contagious virus, which can cause pneumonia, is spread with a cough or sneeze.

But it may also be spread on surfaces such as tables or hand rails on public transport - which makes it an extremely contagious infection.

There is no cure for human coronaviruses but people can reduce their risk of infection by keeping their hands clean.