Israel is weighing the possibility of forcing citizens returning from abroad to wear an electronic device as a way to ensure their compliance with quarantine restrictions, Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported on Friday.
Earlier this week, the government moved to shutter Ben Gurion Airport until further notice in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus variants in the country.
A UK strain of the virus is already being blamed for a rapidly ballooning infection rate in the country, thwarting efforts to drive down cases of the disease through restrictive lockdown measures.
Generally used for felons sentenced to house arrest, the monitoring devices would be distributed to Israelis landing at the airport.
They would then be escorted to a so-called coronavirus hotel, and after testing negative for COVID-19, they will be able to return home.
However, authorities may be limited in applying the policy, as any coercive measure would likely be struck down quickly by legal challenges.
Such a measure is under consideration due to the fact that many Israelis have not respected quarantine rules after a trip abroad or after having been in contact with a confirmed patient.
Last year, Israelis were subjected to tracing via their phones to locate coronavirus patients and indicate their whereabouts in order to alert people who had potentially been in contact with them.
Israel, currently in its third general lockdown, is struggling to bring down the infection rate. Daily cases are currently around 8,000 per day despite restrictive measures amid a mass vaccination campaign.
