Filenews 7 August 2021
Revised guidelines for people under quarantine after testing positive for the crown, issued by the Ministry of Health.
According to a notice, as of 7 August 2021 all confirmed cases receive by text message –on the mobile phone they stated at the time of sampling – a link with passwords to confirm their details, to register their contacts and their Personal Physician so that they can monitor and release them and be able to issue the necessary release certificates, when their quarantine is complete.
The personal online form or its guardian can be filled out via a smart phone, tablet or computer in https://phase.ucy.ac.cy/. Passwords are valid for 72 hours from the time of receipt of the sms. If the electronic form is not completed correctly, then the Personal Physician will not be able to release the case and the person will not be able to obtain a certificate of recovery from the Republic of Cyprus. For instructions on filling out the online form, if the case has received the link and password, it can contact 22421600, 22495671, 22495666, 22421745, 22570588 (Monday to Sunday 08:00-00:00).
If the person has not received a text message with their passwords and link within 24 hours of their test, they can contact the Tracking Team on 22771923 (Monday-Sunday 08:00-00:00) or email contacttracing2@moh.gov.cy or the laboratory in which the test was carried out to check that their details were sent correctly to the Ministry of Health.
Patients with mild COVID-19 symptomatology may be isolated at home for the duration prescribed (see revised release protocol in https://www.pio.gov.cy/coronavirus/categories/info). The same applies to symptomatic patients who have completed hospitalisation and are discharged. can continue their quarantine at home. The decision should be the result of a careful clinical evaluation and should be made after the appropriate conditions of isolation at home have been ensured, as well as frequent communication with the Personal Physician. If the following isolation criteria cannot be guaranteed or there are vulnerable persons in the place of residence of the case, there is provision for free state quarantine, in which the transport can be done either by his own vehicle or by means of transport sent by the Ministry of Health upon request.
Vaccination shall not exempt individuals from the mandatory self-limit if they are diagnosed with a positive laboratory result. Therefore, there are no differences in the way positive cases are handled according to their vaccination status.
Isolation instructions at home
- Ideally, the person with a positive result should stay at home alone. If this is not possible, the case is isolated in a room, which the other members of the house will not use under any circumstances.
- The room in which the positive person resides should be adequately ventilated.
- You're not allowed out of the house.*
- Visits are not allowed.
- It is recommended that other members of the household use separate household utensils. If this is not possible, then disinfect before and after each use with common detergent or soap, rinsing and drying.
- It is recommended to use a separate bathroom and toilet. If this option is not available, then disinfect in accordance with the instructions of the health services (https://www.pio.gov.cy/coronavirus/pdf/4_3.pdf).
- If there is a scheduled trip before release, it is NOT allowed to take place.
- Travel is only allowed in case of emergency medical emergency and after contacting the Personal Physician or 1420. Where possible, travel is carried out without escort and only by personal vehicle or ambulance (not by bus or other means of public transport).
- By the end of the period of home self-containing, the waste should be placed in a double bag and stored for 72 hours in a separate area from that of the specified collection. At the end of 72 hours they can be placed in their usual collection area.
Personal Physician
- The person who is a case must immediately inform his Personal Physician of the positive result. The Personal Physician will also be informed by the tracing team, provided that it has been declared on the online https://phase.ucy.ac.cy/ which complements the positive case itself.
- Regular thermometry, oximetry and communication with the Personal Physician is recommended every 24 to 48 hours. In case of developing symptoms or worsening symptoms, inform the Personal Physician.
- In case there is no Personal Physician, immediate registration is recommended. If this is not possible, the person may contact line 1420 to report symptoms or if immediate medical assessment and transport to the hospital is needed.
- The Personal Physician is responsible for the release of the case. If the case does not have a Personal Physician in the Republic of Cyprus, then the release team of the Ministry of Health will be responsible for the release of the positive case. For release issues cases can be contacted by the covidfollowup@moh.gov.cy or on the phone 22605306.
Sick leave/ Certificate of illness/ Safe Pass/ European Digital Certificate of Recovery
- Sick leave, if required, may be issued through the personal physician or if there is no request to the covidfollowup@moh.gov.cy or the telephone 22605306.
- All cases diagnosed in the Republic of Cyprus must complete the online form to provide their details. The online form can be found in the link( https://phase.ucy.ac.cy/ ) and use the passwords sent to them by sms on their mobile phone. If the online form is not completed correctly then they will not be able to release and issue recovery certificates.
- Over their self-contained period (in accordance with the release protocol) and if the Personal Physician of the case registers a release day on the platform, then the cases receive recovery sms on their mobile phone, which can be used as a safe pass.
- In order to issue the European Digital Certificate of Recovery, the electronic form must have been completed correctly and the case released by the Doctor's Staff. The version is made from the portal https://www.eudcc.gov.cy/.
The person who is a COVID19 case detects and informs his or her close contacts
Close contact is defined as:
- A person living with a confirmed case.
- Person who has had direct physical contact with a confirmed case (e.g. handshake).
- Person who had unguarded contact with infectious secretions of a confirmed case.
- A person who has had face-to-face contact with a confirmed case less than 2 metres away and with a duration of more than 15 minutes, or multiple short contacts, of less than 2 metres within 24 hours.
- Person found indoors (e.g. classroom, cinema, hospital waiting areas, etc.) with a confirmed case for more than 15 minutes and at a distance of less than 2 meters, or had multiple short contacts of less than 2 meters within 24 hours.
- A health professional or other person providing health care in a COVID-19 case, or laboratory staff who handled a confirmed case sample without using appropriate protective equipment or if there was a breach in the integrity of the equipment.
- A fellow traveller on an aircraft seated up to two rows (in each direction) from a confirmed case, persons travelling together or caring for the patient, crew members who served the part of the aeroplane where the patient was sitting (probably all passengers sitting in the same part of the plane and even all passengers on the flight can be considered as close contacts; if due to the existence of serious symptoms of the patient and movements of the patient on board the aircraft entails more extensive exposure).
For tracing purposes, only persons considered to be at greater risk of transmission are identified. These individuals had close contact with a confirmed case up to 2 days before the onset of positive case symptoms or 2 days before sampling the positive case, if it is an asymptomatic person (whichever precedes it).
Close contacts in the case are entitled to free sampling from public health clinics, but in order to schedule the appointment, the case must necessarily have registered them as contacts via the online form https://phase.ucy.ac.cy/. This concerns the social contacts of the case. For professional premises, educational institutions, hospitals, army etc. the Safety and Health Officer is responsible for reporting close contacts in these areas by filling in the table for a case contact statement (the table can also be found in https://bit.ly/3yuC6lq)and sending it to contacttracing@moh.gov.cy.
Anyone declared as close contact from the case must self-contain, unless excluded on the basis of specific criteria. Isolation instructions for close contacts can be found in the Instructions for Close Contacts link.
For general information about COVID19 call 1474 (Monday-Sunday 08:00-20:00).
To report worsening symptoms, tell your Personal Physician or call 1420 (24-hour operation).
For release issues call 22605306 or email covidfollowup@moh.gov.cy (Monday-Friday 08:00-20:00).
For any additional instructions to indicate your close contacts and clarifications about the tracing process, please contact the Tracking Team at 22771923 or email contacttracing2@moh.gov.cy (Monday-Sunday 08:00-00:00).
*The quarantine at home may be monitored either by on-site or by telephone checks by the Cyprus Police. Persons under quarantine are obliged to comply with the relevant decree. In the event of non-compliance, they will be held criminally responsible.
