Minister Koritnik first said that, by 1 PM today, the application had been downloaded by 4,982 users. Technical assistance with downloading the app will be provided by the call centre (080 17 87) established at the Ministry of Public Administration. A special StayHealthy subpage has also been set up at the GOV.SI portal containing all the details and technical information about the application as well as download instructions. The app is expected to be made available to Apple iPhone or iOS users by the end of the month.
The Minister reiterated that the application has no tracking functionalities as the phone does not access any location data; the app has no access to the phone’s directory or to any other phone data that could reveal the user’s identity.
In the event of a coronavirus infection, a person can voluntarily inform the app users he or she has come into contact with, namely based on a special ten-digit code obtained from the National Institute of Public Health.
In conclusion, Minister Koritnik paraphrased the words of Mojca Matičič from the Clinic for Infectious Diseases of the University Medical Centre Ljubljana. As a citizen of Slovenia, he feels a great responsibility to start using the application as soon as possible, both for his own good and for the good of others, as health is our greatest asset. On this note, he called for the application to be downloaded by as many citizens as possible.
Government spokesperson Kacin expressed gratitude on behalf of the Government and welcomed the information that on Thursday, 13 August 2020, representatives of the Association of Social Institutions of Slovenia returned to trialogue meetings with the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities and the Ministry of Health. An encouraging fact is that progress has been made in agreeing on the elements of virus management protocols, both in the case of social institutions and occupational activity centres. This is positive news for residents and employees in care homes.
The situation in Croatia is deteriorating, the Government will take action
Government spokesman Kacin presented information on the situation in the neighbouring country. The largest number of new infections is recorded in the Split-Dalmatia County, amounting to 64.5 cases per 100,000 people, followed by the Šibenik-Knin County with 60.9 cases of infection. These are the counties with famous night-life venues. The situation is best in the Istria County. At the national level, Croatia records 33.42 cases of infection per 100,000 residents and is close to being included in the red list. The number of infected people in the neighbouring country is rising again, which could lead to a third wave of coronavirus outbreak.
in the course of the period duringIn the period from 29 June 2020 to 16 August 2020 there were 108 cases of infection imported from the neighbouring Croatia; by far the highest number of infected people, i.e. 43 of them, belong to the age group of 15–24 years. A lot of the infections originated from the Zrče beach on the Pag island. Without taking into account the imported infections, Slovenia’s reproduction number would amount to 0.68; with the addition of cases imported from abroad, however, this number rises to 1.24, i.e. 11 infected cases per 100,000 people.
In the light of these figures, the Government will examine a number of measures currently in place when it will consult with the experts on Wednesday. The final decision will be taken on Thursday at the Government’s regular session. In the case the Government decides to introduce mandatory quarantine, the citizens will have a few days to return to the country before the measure takes effect.