The government wants to make the app compulsory for persons testing positive for the novel coronavirus and for those placed into quarantine or self-isolation.

This has raised a lot of controversy, including with the information commissioner, due to concerns about the invasion of privacy and processing of personal data.

"The risk of infection is rising in Slovenia, too," Janez Cigler Kralj, the minister of labour, the family, social affairs and equal opportunities, said as he outlined the bill to MPs on Thursday.

He said the contact tracing app was designed to better protect the health and lives of people by preventing the spread of the virus.

"We believe that with such a preventive measure, we can adequately protect the lives and health of the people. After all it's our duty to protect ourselves and others and it's our right to be safe from a potential infection," he said about the app.

Health Ministry State Secretary Tina Bregant said the majority of virus transmissions occur in the early stages when the infected person does not yet have any symptoms, so the app would enable an infected person to notify their contacts of the disease early on to get in touch with a doctor.

"I'm convinced the app would be downloaded by those who feel responsible for others," she said, assuring it would not serve to control whether a person is abiding by the rules or trace the user's location.

Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik said the app could be ready in a few weeks, explaining a decision on it had been made based on calls from healthcare.

The coalition largely welcomed it as a means of facilitating the epidemiologists' efforts to trace contacts of infected persons, while the left-leaning opposition MPs were against arguing it entailed a disproportionate invasion in human rights and freedoms.

"Technology can help, but your application is problematic," said Brane Golubović of the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ).

Not convinced by Bergant's arguments, LMŠ MP Tina Heferle highlighted the fact that Slovenia would be the only EU country to make the use of the app legally biding.

Golubović added the app would be inefficient as it depended on trust, which many had lost, so the majority would not install it on their smart phones.

Soniboj Knežak of the Social Democrats (SD) argued the app could give people a false sense of safety so they would no longer stick to protective measures and highlighted the fact that many of the elderly did not have a smart phone.

Severe criticism came from the Left, which sees the app as a major encroachment on constitutional rights, so Nataša Sukič said they would consult other opposition parties to seek a constitutional review.

"The app cannot replace testing, it does not cure people and is no solution to the health crisis. The app merely strengthens the state's control," she said.

The coalition MPs find the opposition to the app unreasonable. "It's not about the invasion of privacy, it's a necessary measure to protect public health," said Eva Irgl of the ruling Democrats (SDS).

Apart from the app the bill brings several other measures, which are supported by both coalition and opposition MPs.

Minister Cigler Kralj said it "is a response to the real needs to preserve jobs", adding that 260,000 jobs had been preserved with the first three stimulus packages.

The bill extends the furlough scheme by a month - until the end of July, with the option of extending it further, but no longer than the end of September.

SD MP Knežak said that while unemployment growth had subsided, even longer-term measures would be needed, suggesting the furlough scheme should be extended until the end of the year.

The SD would also like basic income for the self-employed, which was introduced for mid-March until the end of May, to be re-introduced.

As part of the fourth legislative package, the government will also assume the cost of pay for quarantined employees until the end of September.

However, those quarantined because they travelled to a Covid-19 risky country coded red will generally not qualify for pay compensation.

The bill also ensures more funds - EUR 31 million - to finance additional staff in care homes, and further help the tourism sector by extends eligibility for tourist vouchers to accommodation providers that are open only during the tourism season.

The vouchers have to be redeemed until the end of 2020, but the SD would like to have them extended until the end of February 2021.

The opposition believes the government opted to end the epidemic, which formally lasted from 13 March to 31 May, too early. "The situation with the spread of the virus today is worse than it was in mid- March," said Marko Koprivc of the SD.