Israel Running to Catch Up with Renewed Outbreak of Coronavirus

Israel is moving back to a system of local lockdowns to help contain a renewed outbreak of the coronavirus. With close to 400 new cases in the past 24 hours, entire neighborhoods and even towns will come under tight restrictions that could include the closure of schools and businesses, as well as limits on how far one can stray from home. An original tripwire of 100 new cases in 24 hours came and went, with none of the threatened restrictions being put back in place. Officials are now running to catch up by reinstating a controversial phone tracking system aimed at mapping outbreaks, but which rights groups say would mean a serious invasion of privacy. Nadav Argaman, the head of Israel’s internal security service, the Shin Bet, can run the system – but would rather not, knowing that it would require oversight by lawmakers, something no spook wants hanging over his head.