Filenews 29 December 2020
Following the decision to change the policy and to end the molecular verification of positive antigen test results, citizens who are tested positive by the rapid antigen detection test method are considered confirmed cases of COVID-19 and, by extension, should be restrained and immediately inform their close contacts.
The tracing process begins automatically and the close contacts that the case itself indicates to the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit must comply to the letter of the following procedure:
- When a person is informed by a person in their environment who has tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus that they will be declared to the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit as a close contact, they must automatically self-contain and await instructions from the Ministry of Health.
- Persons declared as close case contacts shall receive, within 24 hours of sending their data from the case, a text message with the instructions for close contacts.
- Subsequently, a telephone call is made by the Ministry of Health within the next few days and an appointment for sampling is arranged to carry out a PCR examination through the Public Health Clinics. Under no circumstances should persons declared as close contacts go for examination or to places where rapid tests are carried out, in violation of their restriction. Furthermore, carrying out tests immediately after contact with the positive case can give misleading results and does not relieve a person with a negative result from mandatory isolation.
- The period of isolation of close contacts is set at 14 days. The person designated as close contact may be released from quarantine earlier than 14 days if he takes a PCR test on the 10th day after contact with a confirmed case and has a negative result and provided that he shows no symptoms. In case of symptomatology of COVID-19 infection at any time during isolation, the Personal Physician should be informed and medical instructions followed.
Violation of the above guidelines and non-compliance with quarantine, in addition to the serious risks it poses to Public Health, is also a violation of the relevant Decrees and the Ministry of Health is making complaints to the Police.
Source: eyenews
