Filenews 19 October 2021
Instructions on how to manage coronavirus cases and their close contacts, the Ministry of Health has released.
Specifically:
- Management of positive cases:
By announcing the positive result after a rapid antigen test or PCR test (molecular test), the virus-positive person must:
- put directly into self-isolation,
- inform his/her Personal Doctor,
- inform his close contacts, the employer, the school, the camp, etc.,
- exits self-isolation only with the lapse of the days provided for by the release protocol and after receiving a release sms.
It is forbidden to travel by any means of public transport (bus, taxi, plane and ship) for reasons of prevention of dispersal. Positive cases that have a scheduled trip are not allowed to do so before their official release from their Personal Doctor or the release team of the Ministry of Health.
For citizens or tourists staying in hotels and for people who cannot observe the isolation in their home, there is provision for free state quarantine and transportation by means provided by the Ministry of Health. If they do not wish to be accommodated in the state quarantine, these individuals can choose to rent at their own expense a private accommodation (apartment, house, villa) and be transported by private vehicle to spend their self-isolation period there, after consultation with the Unit of Epidemiological Surveillance and Control of Infectious Diseases (MEE&ELN), but for no reason can not continue to stay in a hotel.It should be noted that the results of the rapid test sampling points are communicated to the MEE&ELN after the completion of the tests and within 24 hours the people with a positive result receive a text message (sms) with the Self-Isolation Instructions for confirmed cases of COVID19 on the mobile phone they declared during their examination. The virus-positive person must follow the self-isolation instructions they receive. If the person is a minor, a guardian's mobile phone should be declared and not the child's.
In the same sms, the positive case receives passwords and a link to confirm his details, to declare his contacts and his Personal Doctor so that he can monitor and release him and have the ability to issue the necessary release certificates when his quarantine is completed.
The social and family contacts of the case are declared immediately through the electronic platform, after they are declared by the positive case and then they receive self-isolation instructions and their samplings are scheduled by the coordination of the Public Health Clinics.
In the instructions received by the positive case there is also a relevant table that the case can declare additional close contacts after filling in the electronic form and send them by email to the contacttracing@moh.gov.cy.
The Personal Doctor is responsible for monitoring the health of his/her patients/beneficiaries and releasing the confirmed cases, in accordance with the release protocol and not earlier than 10 days from the diagnosis or onset of symptoms. Persons who do not have a Personal Doctor are released from the Release Team. Upon their release, all cases receive a text message stating the release date and can be used for Safe Pass purposes. Along with their release (10 days after the positive result), people who tested positive for the coronavirus can issue a European Digital Recovery Certificate to travel within the European Union through the https://www.eudcc.gov.cy/portal.
Sick leave is given by the Personal Doctor.
All the data collected by the MEE&ELN is used exclusively to identify the source of infection of the positive case, identify its contacts and understand the behaviour of the virus.
For general information, positive cases can be called 1474 (Monday to Sunday 08:00-20:00), while for reporting worsening symptoms, medical assessment or need to be transferred to a hospital they can call 1420 24 hours a day.
If someone has been diagnosed positive to the coronavirus and has not received a text message with the instructions within 24 hours, he/she should contact the laboratory or the individual who performed the test and make sure that his/her positive result has been declared and that the contact details kept by the laboratory are the correct ones (e.g. the wrong phone number).
It is understood that if the positive results are not declared by the laboratory or the person who conducted the examination at the Ministry of Health, the positive case will not be able to receive the required instructions, to monitor the course of his health, to declare his contacts, but also to receive all the supporting documents he is entitled to upon his release (e.g. SafePass, EU Digital Covid Certificate).
For release issues, positive cases can be contacted by the Release Team at the covidfollowup@moh.gov.cy email address or on 22605306 phone.
Cases with a positive coronavirus test, which have completed their vaccination or have recovered before the period of 6 months, follow the procedure normally and are not exempt from self-isolation.
Antibody tests and self-test results are not acceptable methodologies for diagnosing a positive case.
2. Management of close contacts of cases:
Close contacts are determined by specific criteria according to the following:
- Person living with a confirmed case
- Person who had direct physical contact with a confirmed case (e.g. handshake)
- Person who has had unprotected contact with infectious secretions of a confirmed case (e.g. saliva)
- Person who had face-to-face contact with a confirmed case at a distance of less than 2 meters and with a duration of more than 15 minutes
- 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
- A healthcare professional or other person who provided health care in a case of COVID-19 or laboratory staff who handled a sample of a confirmed case without using the appropriate protective equipment or if there is a breach in its integrity
- A travel companion on an aircraft, people travelling together or caring for the patient, crew members who served the part of the plane where the patient was sitting (probably all passengers who were seated in the same section 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 the patient's movements on board the aircraft, more extensive exposure is involved)
By informing the positive case, the case is asked to declare the contacts it had two days before the onset of symptoms or two days before the test (in case of asymptomatic cases). These data are collected and managed in accordance with the principles of confidentiality and are used only for tracing and public health assurance purposes after approval by the Commissioner for the Protection of Personal Data.
Close contacts undergo a free molecular test(PCR test)after arranging an appointment at the Public Health Clinics, which is scheduled as soon as possible and at the same time they receive instructions for close contacts through a text message for self-isolation. Close contacts are placed in mandatory self-isolation for 14 days from their last contact with the case (the day of contact is defined as day zero).
Close contacts can be released earlier ONLY with a negative PCR on the 7th day from any approved laboratory at their own expense.
The release on the 7th day with a negative PCR applies only to close contacts and not to positive cases.
In case that close contacts are not isolated from the positive case (e.g. mothers with children, or dependents with their caregivers), then the day of the onset of their isolation is extended depending on the day of release of the positive case, since until the last day before its release the positive person is potentially contagious.
Close contacts are not released from their Personal Doctor, but at the end of the days described above. Persons who have been declared as close contacts are entitled to a certificate of special leave for reasons of Public Health that can be submitted to their work and be compensated by the Department of Social Insurance through an application. In order to receive this certificate, it must necessarily be declared by the confirmed case as a close contact. If it has not been declared as a close contact, he shall not be entitled to the special permit certificate.
For the tracing and reporting of close contacts within workplaces, hospitals, nursing homes, military bases and detention centres for migrants and refugees, employers or safety and health officers or local infection committees where they exist are responsible and must send a relevant table with the contacts of cases to the Tracing Team of the Ministry of Health in contacttracing@moh.com.cy. For public educational institutions, the local committees in each school are responsible for identifying and sending close contacts, as defined in a relevant circular of the Ministry of Education and Training.
It is understood that close contacts are not allowed to visit rapid test sampling points, as there is a risk of spreading the virus to the rest of the attendees and they should wait for information from the Public Health Clinics to schedule an appointment.
The exclusion of self-isolation as close contacts is granted to people who:
- have been diagnosed as positive cases with PCR or rapid antigen test within 180 days, either
- have completed their vaccination regimen with any vaccine recognized by the Republic of Cyprus. It is understood that for single-dose vaccines, 14 days must elapse from the dose.
However, all close contacts (including those excluded from self-isolation) should be declared from the case through the appropriate route, in order to be scheduled for sampling by the Coordination of Public Health Clinics.
Any citizen who develops symptoms compatible withcovid-19 (cough, fever, shortness of breath, sudden onset of anosmia, asexuality or dysgeusia, headache, myalgias, shivering, fatigue, vomiting and diarrhea) should contact his/her Personal Doctor for assessment and planning of PCR (molecular examination) at the Public Health Clinics, if necessary. No citizen should visit their work or a student/teacher should visit their school with active symptomatology even if they have a negative rapid antigen detection test for coronavirus.
For issues related to the process of tracing, instructions on how to declare close contacts, who are considered close contacts, when self-isolation is lifted, communication can be made by phone at: 22771923, 22514264, 22514258, 22514259 or email contacttracing2@moh.gov.cy (Monday to Sunday 08:00-00:00).
For instructions for filling in the online form, if the positive case received the link and the password, you can contact by phone at: 22514241, 22514242, 22514243, 22514244 and 22514248 (Monday to Sunday 08:00-00:00).
The obligations of employers are in the current protocol https://www.pio.gov.cy/coronavirus/pdf/erg20.pdf and can contact the health services of the Ministry of Health for clarifications.
For complaints of violations concerning the self-isolation of cases or close contacts, citizens can contact 1460, 22606803, 22606789.
More information on the Decrees and protocols can be found in the www.pio.gov.cy/coronavirus/
