Ljubljana - The government has adopted a decree setting down the method of checking compliance with the recovered-vaccinated-tested rule. Under a decision made at a correspondence session on Wednesday, the user scanning the Covid certificate QR code using a relevant app will have access to the certificate holder's name and year of birth.

This comes after Milan Krek, the head of the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ), told the STA on Tuesday that a legal basis for the app was in the works.

In line with the decree, the NIJZ manages the app, which will be used when the validity of the Covid certificate is checked using a QR code. If the individual produces another form of verifying compliance with the rule of being either vaccinated, tested or reconvalescent under relevant laws, this certificate will be checked, the Government Communication Office (UKOM) said after the session.

The decree, already published in the Official Gazette, says that checking compliance with the rule takes place if the person whose status will be checked has consented to giving access to their personal data.

After the QR code is scanned, the app will not reveal which of the three conditions have been met to produce a valid Covid certificate. The user of the app will get access to the certificate holder's name and year of birth to prevent any abuse of the system. The app must not enable data storage or processing or be linked to any database, the decree also says, according to UKOM.

The decree is effective from today and will remain in place until other related decrees setting down Covid measures are revoked.

NIJZ released an app for checking the validity of Covid certificates on 23 July, when organisers of public events and gatherings became obligated to check visitors' certificates, only to delete it on the same day due to privacy concerns. Hospitality providers in Slovenia have been required to check guests' certificates since 26 July.

The new app was then launched last week, revealing merely the fact that the individual meets the Covid requirement, however experts have warned that such an app paves the way for potential abuses.

The government also decided yesterday to extend a number of preventive measures until 15 August for now.