The government announced Thursday it was halting the use of a controversial phone tracking technology to trace possible cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant, days after it was authorized as an emergency measure.
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Earlier this week, lawmakers announced a package of emergency measures to contain the new strain, including travel restrictions and authorizing the Shin Bet security agency to use phone monitoring technology for the contact tracing of people infected with Omicron.
To be extended, the tracking would have required parliamentary legislation.
But late Thursday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office said the "cellular monitoring" would expire at midnight and not be extended.
The reversal came following days of public criticism of a practice whose use in the past has been criticized by civil liberties groups and challenged in court. Several lawmakers voted against the use of the technology, and a government ombudsman argued that it was ineffective.
Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said on Twitter that "from the beginning, I noted that the use of this tool would be limited and brief – for a few days, in order to get urgent information to halt infection with the new, unknown variant."
He said that "alongside protecting health, we must protect privacy and human rights, even in a time of emergency."
Rights groups have decried the use of the technology, which can track where a person has been and whom they have met with, as a violation of privacy rights. The Supreme Court ordered the government limit its use of the technology earlier this year.
On Thursday, the court rejected a petition by a rights group against the reintroduction of phone tracing, noting the limited scope of its authorization and the uncertainty surrounding Omicron.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel welcomed Thursday's decision and expressed "hope that this is the last time the Shin Bet will be used to monitor the citizens of the State of Israel."
The Health Ministry has confirmed three cases of Omicron and said on Thursday that nearly three dozen other possible cases were being tested.
Also on Thursday, Bennett held an Omicron situation assessment, which was attended by Horowitz and other senior health officials.
At the meeting, officials decided decided, among other things, that Israelis who return from abroad and do not take a second PCR test on the third or seventh day after their arrival will be subject to fines.
The Health Ministry and the Israel Police will synchronize their data systems so that fines of up to 2,500 shekels ($800) can be issued automatically.
The decision will come into effect in a few weeks, when the technical preparations necessary for its implementation are completed.
In addition, the Health and Education Ministries, in cooperation with local authorities, will run a special children's vaccination program that will include early coordination between the coronavirus control center, local authorities, schools, parent-teacher committees, health funds, and the district physician; the sharing of vaccine safety-related information in the education system; and education on the safety of the vaccines in local communities ahead of "vaccination days" when mobile vaccination units are set to arrive at schools and community centers.
The pilot programs will launch in several local authorities next week. At the same time, Bennett ordered preparations be made for the campaign's immediate expansion to all authorities and schools in Israel.
It was also decided to continue efforts to find ways to encourage vaccination.
Several proposals for changing future guidelines at Ben-Gurion International Airport were also presented at the meeting. The Health and Transportation Ministries and the Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command were set to present their recommendations at a later date.
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