in-cyprus 24 March 2020 - Bouli Hadjioannou UPDATED WITH ENGLISH FORMS
The Finance Ministry has published the documents that employees and members of the general public must complete if they are to leave the house.
Under a new decree that comes into force at 6 pm on Tuesday and until April 13, all unnecessary movement is prohibited.
According to the official transcript in English from the Press and Information office, the only exceptions to the prohibition are:
- Transfer to and from the workplace.
- Transfer for the purposes of supplies of basic necessities from businesses or shops whose operation is allowed and given that shipping is not possible.
- Visit to doctor or transit to a pharmacy.
- Visit to a bank if electronic transactions are not possible.
- Transit with the purpose to aid fellow citizens who cannot look after themselves or to groups of people who must be protected, or who are in self-isolation and/or in premises of compulsory isolation (quarantine).
- First and second degree relatives going to ceremonies, such as funerals, weddings and christenings, not exceeding ten people.
- Transit for physical exercise or for the needs of a pet, provided they are not more than two people and they remain limited in areas adjacent to their residence.
Under all circumstances, all persons moving about must carry identification and additional proof as to the purpose of their movement.
Document A is for employees and must be filled by the employer. It also applies for the self-employed. The following document must be filled out:
Document B is for members of the public.
- Send SMS, OR
- Fill out and print Document B (Movement Confirmation Document):
Alternatively they can send a text message to 8998. In this case, the public must submit the number of their ID or passport, their postal code and select the category which covers the reason they wish to leave the house (scroll down for detailed instructions). They must wait for a response before leaving the house and they must carry on them the completed form or the reply to the SMS and their ID when they leave the house.
At a press conference Interior Minister Nicos Nouris and deputy minister for research and innovation Kyriakos Kokkinos said these were unprecedented times. There may be discrepancies and gaps in the procedures which will be smoothed out as the government machinery adapts to the new state of affairs, they said as they asked for the public’s cooperation and understanding.
Main points from press conference
- Document A must be signed by the employer or by the self-employed person once only
- Document B or the SMS option must be secured every time.
- Permission to leave the house must be requested sparingly. It will be given and is valid for three hours. It can be requested for more than one time a day. But if there is abuse, then the government will restrict this further.
- For the first day or so authorities will show understanding until people familiarise themselves with the new rules
How to obtain permission with a text message
Instructions for Sending SMS
The SMS can be sent from your mobile phone to the number 8998 without any charges.
The SMS must have the following format:
X space ID or passport number space postal code [8577 for Tala] then SEND
Χ stands for the purpose of movement with the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 corresponding to the following reasons:
The eight categories
- Visit doctor/pharmacy
- Go to a shop for basics
- Go to bank (provided cannot be done online)
- Go to a government or other public service office for absolutely essential reasons
- Help someone who is not a position to look after themselves
- Exercise or walk the dog in vicinity of house and not more than two people
- Go to a christening, funeral or wedding provided not more than 10 people
- Other reasons which may be justified under the decrees (this the ministers said were the exception to the exception)
Reply will be received in 10 to 15 seconds. ΟΚ space Χ space ID or Passport number space Postal Code space Permit expiration time
In case of a police check, citizens should show the SMS along with their ID or passport. In addition, the Police will be checking for possible misuse of the SMS service to the number 8998.
Solemn Declaration by Citizens
In the event that citizens do not have access to the announced documents for a confirmation of movement, they may carry with them a handwritten confirmation containing the following information: full name, date of birth, ID or passport number, residence address, time of movement as well as the specific purpose of that movement (which must fall within the categories excluded from the prohibition of unnecessary movements, as these are stipulated in the relevant Decree.) Signature and Date.
