A certificate will also be valid if a second dose was administered within six months prior, Gergely Gulyás told a press conference.

For those below the age of 18, two jabs will suffice to obtain a certificate. Omicron was a game-changer, he said.

“It’s the vaccine that ensures protection rather than having recovered from the disease.”

Taking the booster jab, available for adults from four months after the second dose, will be required for a valid vaccination certificate, he said, adding that the current cards displaying a QR code would not have to be replaced.

Also, the government has decided to shorten quarantine periods for people testing positive for Covid, he said.

Adults will be required to self-isolate for a seven-day period and will be allowed to leave quarantine after five days if they are symptom-free and produce a negative Covid test, Gulyás said.

Unvaccinated primary school children in grades 1-4 will be required to quarantine for five days if a positive case is confirmed in their class. Otherwise, classroom education will carry on uninterrupted, he said.