jerusalempost | Israel is going to use counter-terrorism technologies to track
coronavirus carriers, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday as
the government enacted new restrictions including the closure of all restaurants, cafes and theaters, and called for offices to have employees work from home.
“We are at war with an enemy: the coronavirus,” the prime minister said, “an invisible enemy.”
Netanyahu said that he had been given the green light by the Justice
Ministry to use Intelligence tracking tools to digitally monitor
coronavirus patients without asking them, which the prime minister
admitted Saturday night infringes on personal privacy. But he argued
that by using these means, “we will be able to see who they were with,
what happened before and after [they were infected], and we will be able
to isolate the coronavirus and not the entire country.
"We
are one of the few countries with this capability, and we will use it,”
he said. "We must do everything, as a government and as citizens, to
not become infected and not to infect others.”It was later clarified that these tolls would not be used for enforcement or monitoring of isolation guidelines.
As the number of coronavirus patients in the country neared 200
at press time, the government rolled out further restrictions that
would go into effect Sunday morning. Kindergartens, nurseries, daycares,
all special education learning centers and all recreational and leisure
establishments will close.
Workplaces will remain open, but staff will
be asked to work from home. Gatherings will be limited to no more than
10 people.
