Corona in Israel: Anti-terrorist technology in the fight against an 'invisible enemy'

(Patria) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Saturday that his government plans to use anti-terrorist tracking technology to minimize the risk of coronavirus transmission.

If this proposal is adopted by the Ministry of Justice due to concerns about violating patient privacy, cyber monitoring will be used to locate people who have been in contact with infected individuals.

"We will soon begin using technology, digital means that we use in the fight against terrorism," Netanyahu said at a press conference.

This will involve tracking the activities of infected patients via mobile phones to determine any violations of quarantine rules, as well as who they have contacted and where they have been.

Netanyahu stated that such a proposal is not an easy choice, but that it is about an 'invisible enemy that must be located'. He explained that Israel will apply methods similar to Taiwan, and that throughout all the years of his tenure he 'avoided using such means for the civilian population', but that now 'there is no choice'.

The Israeli government will close shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, and theaters starting Sunday, and the working population will not go to work unless it is necessary, Reuters reports. Vital services such as pharmacies, banks, and supermarkets will continue to operate.

193 infected individuals have been registered in Israel, with no fatalities.

Due to the crisis caused by the coronavirus, the start of the corruption trial against Prime Minister Netanyahu was postponed on Sunday. The court proceedings will resume on May 24.