Event organizers in Slovenia obliged to check for possession of Covid certificates

The PCT rule (recovered, vaccinated, tested) for attending public events and rallies will be in place until at least 1 August

Covid immunity certificates have been required of all attendees at events across Slovenia for some time, but according to STA newswire they have been checked randomly or not at all at the gate. Now, with the Delta variant heralding a premature new coronavirus wave, the government has decided to make organizers of all public events and gatherings verify compliance with the PCT rule (recovered, vaccinated, tested) or risk hefty fines in case of foot-dragging. 

PCT objectors will be refused entry 

According to the amended Ordinance on the temporary restriction of the gathering of people for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infections, the organizers of public events, including sports and cultural events, rallies, as well as ski lift operators will be required to verify at the entrance that participants/visitors meet the PCT requirement. They must refuse entry to those who do not meet the condition. 

Also, the organizer must inform participants by a written notice placed visibly outside the event area that the possession of an immunity certificate is mandatory for participation in the event or meeting. The organizer may entrust the event’s security guards with the verification of the PCT status of attendees. The new regulation will come into effect on 26 July and will apply until at least August 1. 

Employees in individual activities who meet the PCT requirement through testing must take the test once a week. Such an arrangement shall apply until 23 August. Afterwards, the validity of the tests will change to 72 hours for the PCR test and 48 hours for the rapid antigen test, the same as when crossing the state border.

Border rules

As of 15 July, the list of countries grouped according to their epidemiological picture is no longer valid in Slovenia. All passengers must present proof of PCT when entering the country, otherwise they must self-isolate. There are exceptions for children under the age of 15, dual citizens and transit travellers, but not for labour migrants.

Religious practices

Participants in the collective exercise of religious practices will be exempt from the requirement to stay 1 m apart if they meet the PCT condition. Until now, the exemption only applied to members of the same household. 

Autumn activities impossible without PCT system

Mateja Logar, head of the expert advisory group on Covid-19, said during a press conference that without a PCT system, any activities in the fall would hardly be possible, reported RTV Slovenia. Asked how compliance with the PCT requirement will be verified in practice, she explained that a mobile application will be up for download from Monday, and the QR code on Covid certificates will be read through it. Logar emphasized that no personal data will be transmitted via the QR code, and the check will only indicate that the code is valid or invalid. 

An organizer who fails to verify compliance with the PCT condition may face a fine of between 400 and 1,000 euros, she said, but the exact amount of the penalty is yet to be determined by the government.