The updated guidelines for the management of COVID-19 cases and their close contacts, based on the latest decisions of the Council of Ministers, have been published.
In detail:
- Management of positive cases:
Upon notification of a positive result following a Rapid antigen test or PCR test (molecular test), the virus positive person must:
- immediately put himself/herself in self-isolation,
- inform his/her Personal Physician,
- inform his/her close contacts, employer, school, camp, etc.,
- exit from self-limitation only at the end of the days provided for in the release protocol, and after receiving a release sms.
Travel by any means of public transport (bus, taxi, airplane and ship) is forbidden in order to prevent dispersal.
Travel by any means of public transport (bus, taxi, airplane and ship) is forbidden in order to prevent dispersal. Positive cases who have a planned trip are not allowed to make it until they have been officially discharged by their Personal Physician or the Ministry of Health discharge team. For citizens or tourists staying in hotels and for persons who cannot maintain isolation at home, provision is made for free state quarantine and transportation by means provided by the Ministry of Health. If they do not wish to stay in state quarantine, such persons may choose to rent at their own expense private accommodation (apartment, house, villa) and be transported by private vehicle to spend their period of self-confinement there, after consultation with the Unit for the Epidemiological Surveillance and Control of Infectious Diseases (MEE&ELN), but for no reason may they continue to stay in a hotel.
Please note that the results from the rapid test sampling points are communicated to the ICE&ELN after the tests are completed and within 24 hours persons with a positive result receive a text message (sms) with the self-isolation instructions for confirmed cases of COVID19 on the mobile phone they indicated during their test. The person who is positive for the virus must follow the self-isolation instructions they receive. In case the person is a minor, a mobile phone of a guardian and not of the child should be declared.
In the same sms, the positive case receives passwords and a link to confirm his/her details, declare his/her contacts and Personal Physician so that he/she can be monitored and released and have the possibility to issue the necessary release certificates when the quarantine is completed.
The social and family contacts of the case are immediately registered through the online platform after being reported by the positive case and subsequently receive self-limitation instructions and their sampling is scheduled by the coordination of the Public Health Clinics.
In the instructions received by the positive case there is also relevant table that the case can declare additional close contacts and after completing the online form and emailing them to contacttracing@moh.gov.cy.
The Personal Physician is responsible for monitoring the health of his/her patients/beneficiaries and releasing confirmed cases according to the release protocol and no earlier than 10 days from diagnosis or onset of symptoms. Individuals who do not have a Personal Physician are released by the MEC&ELN Release Team. Upon release, all cases receive a text message indicating the release date and may be used for Safe Pass purposes. Alongside their release (10 days after a positive result), individuals who were coronavirus positive can be issued a European Digital Recovery Certificate to travel within the European Union via the https:/www.eudcc.gov.cy/.
A sick leave is issued by the Personal Physician.
All data collected by MEE&ELN is used exclusively for tracing the source of infection of the positive case, tracing its contacts and understanding the behaviour of the virus.
For general information, positive cases can call 1474 (Monday to Sunday 08:00-20:00), while for reporting worsening symptoms, medical evaluation or need for transfer to a hospital, they can call 1420 24 hours a day.
If a person has been diagnosed positive for coronavirus and has not received a text message with instructions within 24 hours, they should contact the laboratory or the individual who performed the test to ensure that their positive result was reported and that the contact details held by the laboratory are correct (e.g.It is understood that if the positive results are not declared by the laboratory or the individual who carried out the test to the Ministry of Health, the positive case will not be able to receive the required instructions, to monitor his/her health status, to declare his/her contacts and to receive all the documents to which he/she is entitled upon release (e.g. SafePass, EU Digital Covid Certificate).
For release issues, positive cases can contact the Release Team at covidfollowup@moh.gov.cy or phone 22605306.
Cases with a positive coronavirus test who have completed their vaccination or have recovered in more than 3 months follow the procedure as normal and are not exempt from self-limitation.
Antibody tests and self-test results are not acceptable methodologies for diagnosing a positive case.
Management of close contacts of cases
Close contacts are defined by specific criteria according to the following:
- Person living with a confirmed case
- Person who has had direct physical contact with a confirmed case (e.g. BR\]
- Person who has had unprotected contact with infectious secretions of a confirmed case (e.g. saliva)
- Person who has had face-to-face contact with a confirmed case at a distance of less than 2 metres and for a duration of more than 15 minutes
- Person found in an enclosed space (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 metres
- Health care professional or other person who provided health care to a COVID-19 case or laboratory personnel who handled a specimen of a confirmed case without using appropriate protective equipment or if there is a breach in integrity
- Passenger on an aircraft, persons travelling with or caring for the patient, crew members who served the section of the aeroplane in which the patient was seated (possibly all passengers seated in the same section of the aeroplane and even all passengers on the flight may be considered close contacts, if due to the existence of severe symptoms of the patient and movement of the patient within the aircraft, more extensive exposure is involved)
It is stressed that:
Close contact within educational establishments is defined by a relevant circular of the Ministry of Health and it is the responsibility of the school management to declare close contact.
Close contact within the workplace shall be declared by the Health and Safety Manager of the establishment.
For nursing staff, return to work instructions may be different and subject to conditions set by the Infection Control Committee of the nursing establishment.
What applies on a case-by-case basis to close contacts:
- Booster dose of vaccine, effective on the same day as the booster dose:
He/she is not required to self-limit, provided that Personal Protection Measures (mask, hand hygiene, keeping distance from other persons, reducing contact, self-monitoring for symptoms) are observed. Recommendation for *free Rapid Antigen Test on the 3rd and 5th day after contact through the tracing procedure.
- Complete vaccination with any vaccine recognised by the Republic of Cyprus (2 doses of vaccine or 1 dose of monovalent vaccine + 14 days) and 7 months have not elapsed since the last dose:
He/she is not required to self-limit, provided that the Personal Protection Measures (mask, hand hygiene, keeping distance from other persons, reducing contact, self-monitoring for symptoms) are observed. Mandatory free* Rapid Antigen Test on the 3rd and 5th day after contact through the tracing procedure. Recommendation for PCR on the seventh day after contact .
- Individuals previously diagnosed/infected as positive cases by PCR or Rapid Antigen Test and 90 days have not elapsed since release:
They are not required to self-limit, provided that Personal Protective Measures (mask, hand hygiene, keeping distance from other people, reducing contact, self-monitoring for symptoms) are followed. Mandatory free* Rapid Antigen Test on the 3rd and 5th day after contact through the tracing procedure. Recommendation for PCR on the seventh day after contact .
- Complete vaccination with any vaccine recognised by the Republic of Cyprus (2 doses of vaccine or 1 dose of monovalent vaccine + 14 days) but 7 months have elapsed since the last dose:
Mandatory self-limitation for 14 days after contact with a confirmed case. Release earlier than 14 days can be done by PCR test (with negative result) on day 7 of contact or later at cost paid by the individual. Mandatory free* Rapid Antigen Test on the 3rd and 5th day after contact through the tracing procedure.
- Individuals with no history of vaccination or disease or without having completed their vaccination regimen (e.g.e.g. only one dose of a bivalent vaccine):
Must self-limit for 14 days after contact with a confirmed case. Release earlier than 14 days can be done by PCR test (with negative result) on day 7 of contact or later at cost paid by the individual. Mandatory free* Antigen Rapid Test on the 3rd and 5th day of contact through the tracing process.
* Scheduling for free rapid test on the 3rd and 5th day of contact is scheduled by the Ministry of Health and the person concerned is informed by sms phone message of the sampling location and time at predetermined locations to be notified. At these points they will be required to show the sms indicating that they are a close contact and provide the code sent along with some form of identification (ID, passport or ARC). A prerequisite for the close contact to receive the sms with the appointment is that the positive case must have declared the contact through the online platform or the board received when the contact was positively identified. Note that if day 3 of the contact has elapsed, only the day 5 test will be scheduled and if day 5 has also elapsed then no appointment will be scheduled and the contact will have to be tested through another route at their own expense.
For children under 6 years of age, a free PCR test will be scheduled by telephone appointment by the Public Health Clinic Coordination in their province of residence.
To verify the above, the Cyprus Police may require vaccination certificates or release certificates.
For Hospital staff the instructions for returning to work may be different and subject to conditions set by the Infectious Diseases Committee of the Hospital.
For all of the above categories of close contacts it is understood that when they present with symptoms compatible with COVID-19 they should contact their Personal Physician for assessment and scheduling of free PCR testing through the Public Health Clinics.
For close contacts identified as contacts of a variant of concern (e.g. "omicron" variant or other) the guidelines may be modified. In such cases, they will be notified by telephone by a state official of any variations in procedures.
Those who are required to self-limit may remain self-limiting in their place of residence as specified below. If the below cannot be applied, quarantine provision is available at an additional cost which is covered by the individual at an appropriate quarantine hotel and can be arranged by telephone at 22691345 (This cost is fully covered by the Ministry of Tourism if the close contact was a co-passenger of a case on an airplane and called for instructions from a Ministry of Health official). In any case, self-limitation in any hotel beyond the appropriate is prohibited due to the risk of spreading. Private accommodation should be arranged or close contact should be transferred to the appropriate hotel.
Guidelines for isolation at home
- Ideally, the person should stay alone at home. If this is not possible, the suspected case is isolated in a room which the other members will not use under any circumstances. If there are other suspected or confirmed cases in the house, they should be isolated separately from each other.
- The room in which the suspected case resides should be adequately ventilated.
- No leaving the house is allowed.
Self-containment in the house may be supervised either by on-site or telephone checks. Persons under house arrest are required to comply with the relevant decree. In case of non-compliance, they will be held criminally responsible.
- Visits are not allowed.
- The use of separate household utensils is recommended. If this is not possible, then disinfect before and after each use with a common detergent or soap, rinse and dry.
- The use of a separate bathroom and latrine is recommended. If this facility is not available, then disinfect according to health department guidelines (https:/www.pio.gov.cy/coronavirus/pdf/4_3.pdf).
- If there is a planned trip prior to discharge, it is NOT allowed. An exception can be made if the permanent residence is outside Cyprus, always in consultation with the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit for information and instructions, with a necessary negative PCR test with sampling less than 48 hours before the trip and provided that the person does not present any symptoms.
- Travel is ONLY allowed in case of a medical emergency and after contacting the Personal Physician or 1420. Where feasible, movement should be unescorted and by personal vehicle only (not by bus or taxi).
- By the end of the home self-limitation period, waste should be placed in a double bag and kept for 72 hours in a separate area from that of the designated collection. At the end of the 72 hours they can be placed in their usual collection area.
- If the suspected case is under 15 years of age or is a person in need of care who is not self-sufficient, then a parent/guardian/carer may self-limit with the suspected case to care for them and also request special permission. For the person who chooses to remain in self-limitation with the suspected case, the same guidelines for self-limitation at home and isolation from other housemates and the wider environment apply as for the suspected case.
- The only exception for removal of self-isolation is for purposes of examination at public health clinics.
- No close contact is allowed to remain in a hotel beyond the appropriate hotels of the Ministry of Tourism. Private accommodation should be arranged or transferred to the appropriate hotel.
Next update/ Sampling/ Release
- The isolation period is set at 14 days. A person designated as close contact may be released from quarantine earlier than 14 days if he/she has a PCR test at a contracted laboratory on the 7th day after contact with a confirmed case or later (considering the day of contact as day zero) and has a negative result. The negative PCR result should be emailed to contacttracing3@moh.gov.cy.
- The quarantine starts from the last day of contact with the outbreak and not from the day of notification. The day of contact is defined as day zero and days of self-limitation start counting from the following day.
- If close contacts are not isolated from the positive case (e.g. parents caring for a minor child, caregivers caring for people who are not self-sufficient, etc.), then the last day of contact (day zero) is considered the day of release of the positive case, since until the last day before release the positive person is potentially contagious and the days of self-limitation are renewed.
- Once a person has been declared as a close contact by the confirmed case, a Public Health Clinic Coordination Officer will contact the suspected case by telephone within a few days for information as to sampling. Instructions on where and how to go will be given by telephone. From the tracing procedure, one free test is warranted for each close contact.
- The result of the test will be communicated within 72 hours by text message.
- If the person designated as a close contact is not invited for testing or does not wish to take the test, he/she may return to activities after 14 days from the last contact with the case, provided he/she has no symptoms.
- Quarantine is automatically lifted at the end of the self-limitation days without further notification.
Personal Physician
- The Personal Physician need not be informed at the outset, except in the event of the development of symptoms. Then the physician can schedule another sampling if deemed necessary.
- Daily thermometry by the individual is recommended.
- In the absence of a personal physician, direct registration is recommended. If this is not possible, the individual may contact the 1420 line for reporting and assessment of symptoms.
Special leave
- It is possible to secure a work permit from the Ministry of Health for individuals who have been assessed as having had close contact with a confirmed case. The relevant file can also be completed online in the following way:
- On https:/www.pio.gov.cy/coronavirus/, under the Information/Instructions tab, there is a file entitled Request for a certificate of absence from work on public health grounds.
- To be completed and sent after the quarantine period by fax (22771496) or email (cycomnet1@cytanet.com.cy) as indicated on the form. The certificate will be sent back in the same way.
- The Certificate of Absence from Work for Public Health reasons issued by the Ministry of Health must be submitted to the Employer or Social Security Services.
For general information, call line 1474 (08:00-20:00).
For any additional instructions on how to register your close contacts and clarification on the tracing process, contact the Tracing Team at 22514264, 22514258, 22514259, 22771923 or email contacttracing2@moh.gov.cy (Monday-Sunday 08:00-00:00).[/B]
To report symptoms, call your personal physician or 1420 (24 hours).
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
