Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. announced Wednesday that it will be the first Israeli company to test all its employees for the coronavirus in a contact tracing pilot program advanced by the IDF’s Home Front Command, Ynet reported.

Rafael is a large company with over 8,000 employees with several facilities throughout Israel. The company has experienced several outbreaks in the past months, forcing the company to quarantine dozens of workers and seriously interfering with productivity.

Testing, which will be conducted by Home Front Command soldiers and Health Ministry employees, will be encouraged but will not be mandatory.

The goal of the pilot program, which has already been implemented in other countries, is to prevent widespread coronavirus outbreaks in the workplace by immediately quarantining anyone found positive for the virus. Another goal of the program is to increase the number of overall coronavirus tests carried out nationwide each day.

More Israeli companies are also expected to join the pilot program, and plans are in place to establish testing facilities in malls and other shopping areas to enable them to reopen for business during the winter months.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)