Call Us : +972-3-7509666
Lnguage :

CORONA: THE ISRAELI START-UPS THAT LOOKED THE PANDEMIC IN THE EYE

 

The Jerusalem Post - Israel News

Over the course of the pandemic, societies all over the world faced numerous problems stemming from the virus’ impact.

These past few months haven’t been great for businesses. The unemployment rate in the United States is inching toward 15%, a number that dwarfs the Great Recession’s peak of 10% in October 2009, as economists warn of a looming second Great Depression. Even in Israel, which has been praised for flattening its curve and having swiftly reopened the economy with fewer than 200 infections per day since, a quarter of the population is unemployed. Nevertheless, there are many Israeli companies muscling through the novel coronavirus pandemic, and some are offering solutions to grapple with its ramifications. To Israel, the “necessity is the mother of invention” expression could not be better applied, and the Start-up Nation is proudly living up to its name.

Over the course of the pandemic, societies all over the world faced numerous problems stemming from the virus’ impact. And the entrepreneurs have risen to the challenges with their own innovations, ranging from tracking the spread of coronavirus in a given area to providing virtual consumer options during the height of the social distancing period.

Command center

 

These past few months haven’t been great for businesses. The unemployment rate in the United States is inching toward 15%, a number that dwarfs the Great Recession’s peak of 10% in October 2009, as economists warn of a looming second Great Depression. Even in Israel, which has been praised for flattening its curve and having swiftly reopened the economy with fewer than 200 infections per day since, a quarter of the population is unemployed. Nevertheless, there are many Israeli companies muscling through the novel coronavirus pandemic, and some are offering solutions to grapple with its ramifications. To Israel, the “necessity is the mother of invention” expression could not be better applied, and the Start-up Nation is proudly living up to its name.

Over the course of the pandemic, societies all over the world faced numerous problems stemming from the virus’ impact. And the entrepreneurs have risen to the challenges with their own innovations, ranging from tracking the spread of coronavirus in a given area to providing virtual consumer options during the height of the social distancing period.

During the peak of Israel’s fight against COVID-19, news broke that a massive outbreak of the virus took place in Bnei Brak. With a population that is predominantly ultra-Orthodox, Bnei Brak posed several challenges to officials working to control the city’s outbreak. Bnei Brak’s population density is three times that of Manhattan’s, and most of its residents don’t use radio, television, or internet.

The city deployed OCTOPUS Systems, the integrated command and control platform, within 24 hours to address these challenges by amalgamating the security systems and databases of the various members of the task force, including the Israeli Army Commando Division, Home Front Defense Regiment, Israeli Police Central Sector, and the Bnei Brak Municipal Police. OCTOPUS orchestrated all security systems and databases, ranging from CCTV and drone footage to facial recognition and geo-location. As a result, authorities were provided a well-rounded picture of the situation on the ground, enabling them to execute a more rapid and effective response, flatten the curve within just two weeks, and take Israel out of the COVID-19 red zone and into the green zone.