As folks in the opposition and inside the government hurl criticism at the manner in which the coronavirus crisis has been handled, it appears that National Security Adviser Meir Ben Shabbat has assumed the mantle of corona czar, or pandemic project manager. Ben Shabbat is orchestrating activities quietly and behind the scenes, and there appears to be a policy in place, goals, situational assessments, directives, oversight, control, and mainly a great deal of thought.
Every workday begins and ends with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ben Shabbat discussing the latest updates and figures. In between, they speak to other experts and officials and are constantly apprised of the fluid situation. Based on the figures, which we will address shortly, they make decisions and formulate policy.
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Following the morning call with Netanyahu, and sometimes before it, the real "corona cabinet" conducts a situational analysis. Unlike the ministerial committee of the same name, this cabinet is a WhatsApp group with 172 members, including ministers, ministry directors-general, senior clerks, senior IDF officers, and others who, in essence, are the ones managing the crisis on a daily basis.
Every morning at 8:30 this group receives updates from each government ministry and authority on the latest numbers and actions being taken under their respective purviews. In this WhatsApp group, the National Security Council relays directives to each ministry and authority, in accordance with the government's decisions and adopted policies. This group, which continues to share and disseminate information throughout the day, is essentially the beating heart of the country's crisis management efforts.
"Everyone is in the group, and everyone knows what to focus on and what needs to be done, says a senior NSC official.
Every evening, a sub-group convenes via WhatsApp to hold "a senior-level situational assessment. This group includes GOC Home Front Command, commander of the IDF's Operations Directorate, a senior aid to the defense minister, the military secretary, and other senior officials in the defense establishment. The NSC manages this situational assessment and spearheads the main body charged with advising the government. Ben Shabbat leads this forum, whose other members include the governor of the Bank of Israel and directors of the Finance and Health ministries and the Prime Minister's Office.
On May 27, after the month's low morbidity figures spurred the government to reopen the economy at breakneck speed, Ben Shabbat warned: "This entails very serious risks. The public's awareness and willingness to give up its daily life routine is dwindling. People do not want to get tested and don't want their privacy infringed upon. The risk of infection is considerable because everything is open. The outcome [to reopening the economy] could be dangerous."
Now, these concerns have come to fruition. The number of seriously ill people stands at 205 and is doubling by the week. It would take a miracle not to find ourselves in two weeks with 800 patients in serious condition.
And these are the recommendations: no more than 10 people anywhere at any time, without exceptions; shut down the entire school system, all houses of prayer and all dining halls, without exception; limit public transportation and reduce reception hours at government offices. It's entirely uncertain these steps will suffice. In all likelihood, in a week or so another general lockdown will be imposed, and will probably be in place several weeks.
Ben Shabbat is also looking at his counterparts beyond Israel's borders, to learn from them. The corona pandemic is a global crisis of massive proportions, far more severe than anything than he encountered in his 33 years in the Shin Bet security agency, including during the Second Intifada. From his perspective, this is a war that affects all aspects of our lives. Ultimately, however, it can only be won if each and every citizen acts responsibly.
Yes, he is familiar with the varying opinions about the coronavirus, and it's easy to argue "there are 'only' 400 deaths, so why the hysteria."
But in his mind's eye, the question is whether or not to gamble with the lives of hundreds more and the collapse of our hospitals, and for him, the answer is clear – people's lives come first.
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