Israel's SuperCom had launched the pilot on Monday as a means of ensuring Israelis quarantine themselves after landing back in the country due to concern they might have been exposed to COVID-19 during their time overseas.
The pilot program saw Israelis arriving at Ben-Gurion Airport offered the PureTag bracelet and PureCare smartphone ahead of their required 10-14 day at-home isolation. Agreeing to wear the bracelet enabled the returnees to quarantine at home as opposed to a government-run coronavirus hotel.
The bracelet cannot monitor any details about the person wearing it, except whether they are complying with their quarantine, SuperCom president and CEO Ordan Trabelsi said ahead of the pilot program's launch.
Should the quarantine be violated, the bracelets won't track their location once they leave their home but will only alert authorities that the person has left the confined area they were supposed to remain through the duration of the quarantine.
According to the company, the bracelets were in high demand, with over 91% of travelers arriving at the airport opting for the program. Reception from the program was positive, and was accompanied by a high satisfaction rate.
As a result, the Health Ministry has expressed immediate demand for the bracelet in order to aid in the country's easing of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. This includes plans to increase the amount of Israelis able to return to the country for abroad, many of whom are not vaccinated and will need to isolate.
And Israel isn't alone in being interested in SuperCom's bracelets, with the company reporting interest from multiple nations worldwide. As a result, the company has expanded its production capacity to over 20,000 units per month.
"We are very pleased with this pilot, utilizing our proprietary technology with people under home-quarantine in Israel, and we are proud to help Israel validate an important strategy to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus," Trabelsi explained, adding that other nations are welcome to run their own pilot programs as well.Rossella Tercatin and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.