Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz announce Shin Bet tracking of patients suspected to have the Omicron variant of coronavirus will stop today at midnight.
The tracking had been approved for five days with the possibility of renewal, but will not be extended.
The move, after only several days of using the invasive tools of the country’s security agency, appears to be in response to intense public criticism and as the strain does not appear to be widely spread at present.
“In accordance with the policy decided in advance by the coronavirus cabinet, according to which tracking will be used sparingly and examined on a daily basis, it has been decided not to continue using them at this time,” according to a statement from the two.
Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz gives a press conference at Soroka Medical Center in the southern city of Beersheba, November 30, 2021. (Flash90)
Horowitz says he always stressed the use of the controversial method, employing cellphone and credit card data, would be limited. “Now we’re ending it, because alongside protecting [public] health, we must protect privacy and human rights, even in times of emergency.”
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, December 2, 2021
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
