LISBON, July 16 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese Council of Ministers approved on Thursday the operation of the "STAYAWAY COVID" system that will track, identify and warn users who had contact with people infected with the novel coronavirus.
According to the approved decree-law, adherence to the application will be entirely voluntary, and the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) will be responsible for data management and information regulation.
Mariana Vieira da Silva, minister of the presidency and administrative modernization, explained in an official statement that each citizen will have "a code" so that they can register for the application anonymously, "respecting European data protection and cybersecurity legislation."
She said that the system "guarantees the privacy" of citizens and only records a "close contact lasting more than 15 minutes in the last 14 days" with someone who is infected with the coronavirus, which causes COVID-19.
According to the minister, the application "does not replace public health rules" that have been followed in the context of the pandemic.
Vieira da Silva also informed that "STAYAWAY COVID" has a preventive function, since the telephone devices that have the "Bluetooth" function turned on will send messages warning about the proximity of a person who has been infected.
However, she assured that everything will be done anonymously, without any "names or places being registered."
The application was developed by the Institute of Systems and Computers Engineering, Technology and Science (INESC TEC), linked to the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto.
Portugal recorded three more deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, pushing the tally to 1,679. Meanwhile, 339 new cases were reported, bringing the country's total infections to 47,765, including 32,476 recoveries. Enditem
