Israel's special corona cabinet was set to meet on Monday to discuss the recent spike in new COVID-19 cases after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that a countrywide lockdown could return if the pandemic continues to spread.
"The ships are coming at us, one at a time, and we are refusing to believe it. And they say nothing will happen. Our responsibility is to stop this pandemic. The pandemic is coming back! Back! Now the question is, how much are we willing to do because of this thing [the virus], which is very quickly coming at us," the prime minister said.
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"There is no such thing as having infections that do not affect [the economy]. Urban legend. There are very serious people at this table, professionals who believe this. They are misleading the public. If we allow this to spread, you do the math. It won't take very long. Within 30 days, 40 days, 60 days, 80 days. It doesn't matter. The moment it starts running, it runs," Netanyahu said.
Health Ministry Director-General Hezi Levy, however, said on Sunday that "the option of lockdown is not being considered right now."
Since the easing of restrictions, daily cases have steadily grown from double-digit numbers to 145 new cases recorded on Sunday.
The so-called corona cabinet will discuss increasing fines for those caught violating the Health Ministry's social distancing guidelines and better enforcement strategies, such as cordoning off neighborhoods and improving inter-ministerial collaboration.
Increasing funding for and legislating tracking and surveillance is to be considered as well. This despite released recordings by Channel 12 News on Sunday of Shin Bet security agency chief Nadav Argaman telling lawmakers that the agency should only be used to track cell phones if there is "no other solution," preferring civilian agencies to do the tracking.
Earlier this month, the Shin Bet program that used large amounts of cellular phone and credit card data to track the movement of coronavirus patients and those in close contact with them ended, almost three months after it was launched.
Ministers decided to cancel the program after failing to write a bill legislating how it would be utilized. That decision came after Argaman reportedly expressed discomfort at continuing the effort, and as virus cases dropped considerably.
But as the pandemic began to surge again in June, Israeli leaders started reconsidering their position.
"What I am asking is that the Shin Bet not be included in legislation," Argaman could be heard saying during a meeting of the coronavirus cabinet. "What is needed is training that the Shin Bet is willing to provide as a solution, in the event there is an outbreak… and to work tightly, and I mean tightly, with the project that can manage it, so there can be a civilian response for the State of Israel in the coming years.
"In the event there are very widespread infections and there will be no other solution, it would be the right move to send it to the [Shin Bet]. I am asking very, very, very much not to," Argaman beseeched the ministers.
Health Minister Yuli Edelstein on Sunday night backed renewing the Shin Bet program via Knesset legislation.
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"We are experiencing critical days, the tracking legislation is very important," said Edelstein, adding that "it is preferable that the information remain in the hands of the Shin Bet rather than a private company, who only the devil knows what its interests are."
Trains are also slated to begin running again on Monday, yet the extent and the exact manner of enforcing guidelines in transit will also be discussed at the meeting.
