Israel to track patients' smartphones to help contain COVID-19 spread

Israeli internal security service has been allowed to track patients' smartphones in bid to help contain the spread of the coronavirus, Israel's Prime Minister's Office said Sunday.

Xinhua news agency reported that upon the request of Israeli Ministry of Health, Israeli cabinet allowed the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) to trace coronavirus patients' smartphones to find out which places they visited before they were diagnosed.

This will allow other people, who visited the same places, to immediately undergo a 14-day home quarantine.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasised that this information would be restricted to the fight against the coronavirus.

Also, this permission to trace patients' smartphones will be valid for a maximum of 30 days.

On Sunday, a total of 20 Israelis tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 213, according to the Ministry of Health. -BERNAMA