The cabinet is convening Wednesday to discuss reinstating the use of the Shin Bet’s coronavirus surveillance program, as the number of patients continues to rise at rates not seen for more than a month.
On Wednesday morning, the Health Ministry reported an increase of 420 patients within the last day, bringing the number of active cases to 5,460. The number of people with serious cases is 45, including 28 who are intubated.
The Health Ministry also reported a record number of people screened on Tuesday: 19,188. The country’s rate of infection stands at 2.3%.
Earlier this week, a series of recordings from coronavirus cabinet meetings that were released to N12, revealed statements by Shin Bet head Nadav Argaman in which he argued against the use of the technology unless the country is in a situation where “there is large-scale infection and there is no alternative solution.
“I really, really, really request” that the country does not legislate the Shin Bet’s involvement in the fight against coronavirus at this stage,” he said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing to restart the surveillance program to help stop the coronavirus spread, despite privacy concerns. On Monday, the coronavirus cabinet started a discussion on the subject, but the attorney general said it was a discussion appropriate for the cabinet and the ministers agreed to push the talk off until Sunday.
The increasing daily number of cases caused the meeting to be moved up.
N12 reported that Blue and White and Likud agreed to advance the bill to launch the surveillance program and that the law may be read to the Knesset plenary as early as Wednesday. However, even if the law does pass today, the program would not be able to be implemented immediately.
Argaman was invited to voice his opposition to the cabinet.
The Ministerial Committee on Declaring Restricted Zones will also meet Wednesday to determine if additional cities should be closed, such as Modi’in Illit and Bat Yam, where the infection rates are high.
A report by the Coronavirus National Information and Knowledge Center focused on spikes specifically in the ultra-Orthodox communities of Bnei Brak, Elad (named a red zone on Tuesday), Modi’in Illit, Beitar Illit and Beit Shemesh. There were 69 people diagnosed with coronavirus in those communities in one day, on June 22, the report said.
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