Israeli government to have wide authority to fight COVID-19

Israeli parliament Knesset) passed a new law allowing the government to declare state of emergency and impose restrictions, if it is convinced that there is a risk of COVID-19 spread posing significant harm to public health. The law limits oversight of governments actions by the Knesset and allows the government to issue restrictions on activities in a person’s public and private life. The restrictions may apply to private residences, as well as to public spaces, including businesses, workplaces, events, educational institutions, and public transportation. This law has been criticized as overreaching. It is expected that the Isreali contact tracing app will be part of the implementation of this law.