The devices were described by health authorities as a key part of the strategy to ensure that those arriving from abroad comply with quarantine requirements, in order to prevent new variants from spreading.
However, a spokesperson for the Health Ministry said that the rollout of the bracelets has yet to begin.
The spokesperson added that since the skies reopened on March 21, about 129,000 people have traveled to Israel and some 437 of them tested positive to the coronavirus so far. Of those, 288 tested positive upon arrival at the airport.
Sources within the government suggested that the reason why the rollout of the bracelets has been postponed is connected to the lack of budget.
A spokesperson of the company Supercom, which provided the devices for the pilot, told the Post that they have 10,000 bracelets ready and the delay is caused by the government.
At the end of January, the authorities completely shut down Israel’s borders, including its airport, in order to prevent new variants to come in. The initial closure, which was supposed to last only seven days was extended multiple times, and for several weeks Israeli citizens were allowed to enter or leave the country only in very limited cases and after obtaining the approval of a special governmental committee. In addition, returnees were forced to quarantine in a hotel.
At the beginning of March, the skies partially reopen, allowing up to 3,000 citizens to enter the country every day and vaccinated or recovered Israelis to leave freely.
The quota and the prohibition for unvaccinated Israeli to travel were canceled only on March 20, after the High Court of Justice declared the relevant provisions unconstitutional, describing them as a restriction to “the basic constitutional right to enter and exit Israel, and other rights at the core of the democratic fabric of life.”
The government and health authorities justified the decision to keep the country’s borders close to its own citizens with the difficulty in ensuring that those who arrive respected the quarantine requirements.
The electronic bracelet program was described as a solution to this problem. A pilot project with 100 bracelets took place between March 1-7.
On March 17, on the same day the High Court ruled on the travel restrictions, the Knesset approved a bill allowing the government to require those who travel from abroad to either isolate at home wearing an electronic bracelet or to quarantine in a hotel. A few days before, Deputy Health Minister Yoav Kisch told the Knesset Constitution and Law Committee that some 5,000 bracelets would be ready starting from the following week.
However, the initiative never came to fruition.
Currently, all people entering the country are required to take a PCR test within 72 hours before boarding the flight and another upon arrival but Israelis who are vaccinated or recovered are exempt from quarantine.