“Even in crises of this nature, the core of civil rights in a democracy must be preserved,” Mr. Blass said in an interview. “The use of advanced Shin Bet technologies is intended for one purpose only: saving lives,” said a senior security official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss such a sensitive matter. “In this way, the spread of the virus in Israel can be narrowed, quickly and efficiently. Saying there could be many as-yet-unknown carriers of the virus in Israel, Mr. Sa’ar said the country could soon be overwhelmed if it did not identify them before their numbers grow to tens of thousands. “If we can locate them, it will help,” he said.

Source: New York Times March 16, 2020 12:09 UTC