THE 5 COLOURS ON SAFEPASS - AND WHAT THEY MEAN

 Filenews 17 December 2021

With today's announcement, the Deputy Ministry informs citizens and businesses that the national control rules of the European Covid Digital Certificates (EUDCC) Cyprus through the CovScan Cyprus application, have been adapted as follows:

The check through the application, which is done by scanning the QR code indicated on the certificate, will present from December 18 the following validity results:

• Green: The certificate is valid and means that its holder has completed his vaccination regimen or has recovered from covid-19 and in any case has not expired its validity period.
• Blue: The certificate is valid and means that its holder has undergone a pcr laboratory test with a negative result within the time frames in force in the Order.
• Yellow/Orange: The certificate is valid and means that its holder has undergone a rapid antigen test with a negative result within the time frames in force in the Decree.
• Purple: The vaccination certificate is valid only with additional presentation of a negative PCR test result or Rapid Test within the timeframes, applicable in the Order, which should also be presented in the form of an EUDCC and will be subject to control through the CovScan Cyprus application.
• Red: The certificate is not valid.

The result of "purple" colour corresponds to the following cases, for which, according to the decrees, an additional presentation of a negative result of a laboratory PCR test is required, with sampling having been carried out within the time frames in force in the Decree.

1. Presentation of a one-dose vaccination certificate for a two-dose vaccine and a vaccination date not exceeding 35 days,
2. Presentation of a single-dose vaccination certificate for a single-dose vaccine if 14 days have not elapsed since vaccination
3. Presentation of a one-dose vaccination certificate for a single-dose or two-dose vaccine for a two-dose vaccine if more than seven (7) months have elapsed since the last dose.

Citizens who have received an additional booster dose after the completion of their vaccination cycle (e.g. 3rd dose) can issue their European Digital Certificate relating to this dose through the https://www.eudcc.gov.cy/platform. A European Digital Certificate for the booster dose is scanned by CovScan Cyprus with a green indication (valid).

The EUDCC may be presented in digital form on a mobile phone (smartphone) or in paper form, provided that the QR code is displayed on it.

It is recalled that the following are excluded from the mandatory check through the CovScan Cyprus application:

1. People aged 65 years and over,
2. People aged 14 years and under,
3. Turkish Cypriot citizens who have been vaccinated in areas of the Republic of Cyprus, where the Government does not exercise effective control,
4. Tourists (i.e. people who are not permanently resident in the Republic and enter the Republic legally) who have been vaccinated in countries other than those of the European Union, the European Economic Area (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) or Switzerland, and
5. Permanent/legal residents of Cyprus who have been vaccinated in countries other than those of the European Union, the European Economic Area (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) or Switzerland.
6. People who are proven and after a decision of the Medical Council are not recommended to be vaccinated, and who should present the special card issued to them by the Ministry of Health and at the same time a rapid laboratory test or PCR test on a weekly basis with a negative result.

The CovScan Cyprus app can be installed on any device that uses Android software and is available for free through Google Play. Instructions for use on how the application works can be found in the link: https://wiki.eudcc.gov.cy/COVSCAN_Android_EL.pdf.

CovScan FAQs

1. What is CovScan Cyprus;

CovScan Cyprus is an application for smart devices (mobile phones, Tablets). The purpose of the application is the electronic validation of the European COVID Digital Certificate, in accordance with the relevant national guidelines.

2. How can I download the app?

CovScan Cyprus is readily available for devices with Android operating system and you can download the application via Google Play, on https://play.google.com/website. The app works with versions newer than Android 8.1. At a later stage, the app will also be available for iOS devices (versions newer than iOS 12.1).

3. What is the process of using the CovScan Cyprus application on Android smart devices ;

To use the app, follow these steps:

1. Before you activate the CovScan Cyprus app from your smart device, make sure that the device is connected to the internet.
2. Launch the app.
3. In the first use the application will display the screen message "Downloading Rules". The process takes a few seconds.
4. On the first use and on a daily basis,before you start scanning the certificates, make sure that the Trusted Public Keys are up to date. Select the icon at the top right (icon "?") where the settings of the application are displayed. Press and enable the update of the application control information (option Reliable Public Keys / Rules - Trusted Public Keys / Business Rules, button "Reload" - «Reload»). The process takes a few seconds.
5. Start scanning.

Note: A prerequisite for the smooth operation of the CovScan Cyprus application and the assurance of reliable indications/control results is the updated National Control Rules and the updated Keys (Trusted Public Keys).

4. What is the use of the CovScan Cyprus application;

The check through the CovScan Cyprus application is done by scanning the QR code indicated on the certificate (in printed or electronic form) and presents the following results:

• Green: The certificate is a "Valid vaccination certificate" or a "Valid recovery certificate" that meets the requirements of the Decree
• Blue: The certificate is "Valid" and means that its holder has undergone a PCR test with a negative result within the time frames in force in the Order.
• Yellow/Orange: The certificate is "Valid" and means that its holder has undergone a rapid antigen detection test with a negative result within the time frames in force in the Decree.
• Purple: The vaccination certificate is "Valid" only with additional presentation of a negative PCR test result or Rapid Test within the timeframes in force in the Order, which should also be presented in the form of an EUDCC and will be subject to control through the CovScan Cyprus application.
• Red: The certificate is "Invalid".

1. In what cases is the indication of purple shown?

The result of "purple" colour corresponds to the following cases, for which, according to the decrees, an additional presentation of a negative result of a laboratory PCR test is required with the sampling having been carried out within the time frames in force in the Decree.

1. Presentation of a one-dose vaccination certificate for a two-dose vaccine and a vaccination date not exceeding 35 days,
2. Presentation of a single-dose vaccination certificate for a single-dose vaccine if 14 days have not elapsed since vaccination
3. Presentation of a one-dose vaccination certificate for a single-dose or two-dose vaccine for a two-dose vaccine if more than seven (7) months have elapsed since the last dose.

1. Which categories of citizens are excluded from the mandatory check-up through the CovScan Cyprus application?

The following are excluded from the mandatory check through the CovScan Cyprus application:

1. People aged 65 years and over
2. People aged 14 years and under,
3. Turkish Cypriot citizens who have been vaccinated in areas of the Republic of Cyprus, where the Government does not exercise effective control,
4. Tourists (i.e. people who are not permanently resident in the Republic and enter the Republic legally) who have been vaccinated in countries other than those of the European Union, the European Economic Area (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) or Switzerland, and
5. Permanent/legal residents of Cyprus who have been vaccinated in countries other than those of the European Union, the European Economic Area (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) or Switzerland.
6. People who are proven and after a decision of the Medical Council are not recommended to be vaccinated, and who should present the special card issued to them by the Ministry of Health and at the same time a rapid laboratory test or PCR test on a weekly basis with a negative result.

7. What are the local rules?

The CovScan Cyprus application returns a VALID result in the following cases (rules according to decree YY date 14-12-2021):

• on completion of all three vaccination doses, in the case of a two-dose vaccine, or two doses of vaccination in the case of a single-dose vaccine (booster dose)
• for a certificate of recovery from COVID-19 in the last 6 months
• for negative molecular laboratory test for covid-19 disease done in the last 72 hours
• for a negative rapid antigen screening test for COVID-19 disease done in the last 48 hours for over 18 years of age, in the last 72 hours for ages 12-17 years and one week for ages 6-11 years.

8. What are the possible causes for incorrect indications from the CovScan Cyprus application;

A prerequisite for the smooth operation of the CovScan Cyprus application and the assurance of reliable indications/ results of the audit is the updated National Control Rules and the updated Keys (Trusted Public Keys).

The last date and time of update is indicated at the end of the Settings – Settings of the application, under Reload – Reload.

If no date is listed (or if the date is not current) check the app's internet connectivity and try again.

9. In case of a problem concerning the use of CovScan Cyprus - and not related to the above cases - where can I contact?

For any problem you can contact the COVID-19 Service Center via email info@eudcc.gov.cy or by phone at 1474 for Cypriot numbers and at +357 22285757 for foreign numbers and calls from abroad.

To facilitate the process of evaluating the problem, please provide the Service Center with all relevant information.

• Nature of the problem
• Device details e.g. manufacturer and model
• Android version – listed in the device's Settings
• CovScan Cyprus app version – listed in the app settings displayed in the top right

10. How is the automatic upgrade of the CovScan Cyprus application achieved (at application level, not keys)?

On smart devices with Android operating system you should have enabled the automatic option to upgrade your apps ("Auto-update apps") from the "Play store" app.

11. What is the procedure for issuing the European COVID Digital Certificate?;

On the https://www.eudcc.gov.cy/ platform, you can find the relevant User's Guide, which explains in detail the process of issuing the European COVID Digital Certificate.

12. What does the European COVID Digital Certificate look like and what are its main features?

The European Covid Digital Certificate can be issued and presented in digital and/or printed form. It contains a QR code with a digital stamp that will ensure its validity and will be verified by scanning the code through the CovScan Cyprus application. Its content is written in both Greek and English and is published free of charge.