Symptoms & protection measures

Guidelines for confirm COVID-19 cases

COVID-19 confirmed cases with mild symptoms and without any serious underlying diseases (e.g. cardiac/respiratory disease, kidney dysfunction, immunosuppression) can self-isolate at home. The same applies for confirmed cases who have been hospitalized and were discharged from the hospital; they can continue their remaining isolation period at their home. This decision should be taken after telephone evaluation by their General Practitioner (GP) and previously ensure the appropriate conditions of isolation in their house, as well as frequent communication with a health professional. If the application of all the following guidelines is not possible, there is providence of free public quarantine at EDEN Rehabilitation Center in Tersefanou, Larnaca.

Guidelines for home isolation:

- Ideally, each confirm case should be living in their own house. If this is not possible, the person confirmed with COVID-19 must be isolated in a room, which the rest of the family members/housemates would not be using, under any circumstances.

- The room in which the confirmed case will use to isolate, should be well ventilated.

- The confirmed cases are not allowed to leave their house.*

- No visitors are allowed.

- It is suggested that they use separate cutlery and any other kitchenware from other housemates. If this is not possible to achieve, disinfection with any common disinfectant/soap after each use and then dry well is advised.

- It is suggested that a separate toilet and bathroom are used from other housemates. In case where this cannot be applied, the toilet and bathroom should be disinfected each use according to the instructions of the health services (https://www.pio.gov.cy/coronavirus/en/pdf/enpa.pdf ).

- If there is a scheduled trip/voyage before the official release date, it is FORBIDDEN for this trip to take place.

- Exception to leave the home isolation is ONLY permitted in cases of medical emergencies and after telephone approval by the general practitioner (GP) of the suspect case or by calling 1420. In that case, transportation should be unaccompanied and only by personal vehicle or ambulance, the use of public transportation is forbidden (e.g. bus or taxi).

- Until the end of the isolation period, waste should be placed in a double well-sealed plastic/waterproof waste bag and stored for 72 hours in a separate area from the usual collection point. At the end of 72 hours they can be placed in their usual collection area.

General Practitioner (GP):

- The confirmed cases must inform their GP for their positive result. The Surveillance Unit of Ministry of Health will also inform the GP.

- Daily temperature monitoring is suggested from the individual.

- Frequent contact with the GP is suggested every 24 to 48 hours. If symptoms appear GP should be notified immediately.

- In the cases where a GP is not available, the patient can contact the 1420 hotline to report their symptoms.

- For the release protocol the case should contact the GP. In case the case doesn’t have a GP in Cyprus, the case should call 22 605306.

Sick Leave:

- The sick leave, where required, is issued by the GP.

For general information, contact 1412 (08:00-20:00).

To report any symptoms, contact your GP or 1420 hotline (24 hours).

For any further instructions and clarifications, contact the Contact Tracing Team (22514241-5).

*Home quarantine may be monitored by either on-site or telephone checks. People under house isolation are required to comply with the regulation. In case of non-compliance, they may be exposed to legal actions.

Guidelines for suspected COVID-19 cases

In this category are persons who are obliged to be restricted includes those who:

- Returned from a category C country in the last 14 days, regardless of symptoms or testing results.

- Were evaluated by the Contact Tracing Team as close contacts of a confirmed case.

Guidelines for home isolation:

- Ideally, each suspected case should be living on their own house. If this is not possible, the suspected case must isolate in a room, which the rest of the family members/housemates, under any circumstances, would not be using.

- The room in which the suspected case will use to isolate, must be well ventilated.

- The suspected cases are not allowed to leave their house. *

- No visitors are allowed.

- It is suggested that they use separate cutlery and any other kitchenware from other housemates. If this is not possible to achieve, then disinfection with any common disinfectant/soap after each use and then dry well is advised.

- It is suggested that a separate toilet and bathroom are used from other housemates. In the cases where this cannot be applied, then the toilet and bathroom should be disinfected each time according to the instructions of the health services (https://www.pio.gov.cy/coronavirus/en/pdf/enpa.pdf ).

- If there is a scheduled trip before the official release date, it is FORBIDDEN for this trip to take place. An exception can be made in the case where the permanent address of the suspected case is not in Cyprus, these has to be green lighted by the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit of Ministry of Health.

- Exception to leave the home isolation is ONLY allowed in cases of medical emergencies and after telephone approval by the general practitioner (GP) of the suspect case or 1420. In that case, transportation should be unaccompanied and only by personal vehicle (not by bus or taxi) or ambulance.

- Until the end of the isolation period, waste should be placed in a double well-sealed plastic/waterproof waste bag and stored for 72 hours in a separate area from the designated collection. At the end of 72 hours they can be placed in their usual collection area.

- If all the above can not be applicable for any reason, there is an option of an isolation room provided with additional costs at a designated quarantine hotel. (These costs are completely covered by the Ministry of Tourism, if the occurred close contact was a passenger on the flight where the confirmed case was found and was contacted for instructions by the Ministry of Health).

- If the suspect case is a minor, only one adult is justified to stay with the child in quarantine and can get a certificate of absence from work by the Ministry of Health, as described below. For the adult who choose it, the same instructions for self-restraint at home and isolation from the other roommates apply as for the minor.

Next Update/Release:

- The isolation period is 14 days**.

- The isolation period begins from the last day the person came in contact with the confirmed case and not from the day they were informed of the situation***. The day of last contact is determined as day 0 and the 14 days start counting from the following day.

- Instructions will be given over the phone for the place of the test and the transportation within a few days from the first contact. From the Contact Tracing Procedure, one free test is covered.

- Individuals in self-isolation due to a recent trip from a Category C country are responsible for a repeat test, on the 12th day of their arrival, at their own expense ( https://www.pio.gov.cy/coronavirus/en/press/13082020_1.pdf ).

- The person will be notified for the result within 72hours through sms.

- Even if the test result is negative, the quarantine period still applies in both cases. The isolation is automatically lifted after 14 days, as long as the result of the latest sampling is negative.

- The contacts of a confirm case can return to their activities even without a test if they don’t develop any symptoms within 14 days after their last contact with a confirm case.

General Practitioner (GP):

- In case of symptom development, you should notify your GP. In that case, the GP can schedule another test, if necessary.

- Daily temperature monitoring is suggested from the individual.

- In case where a suspected case is not registered to a GP, immediate registration is recommended. If this is not possible, the person can call 1420 if needed.

Absence from work from the Ministry of Health:

It is possible to obtain a Certificate of Absence from work from the Ministry of Health, which will be presented to the employer. The Certificate is given only for close contacts of a confirm case and people traveling to category C countries for professional reasons. The file can be completed electronically in the following way:

- On the page https://www.pio.gov.cy/coronavirus/ , in the Information / Instructions tab there is the file Request for issuance of a certificate of absence from work for reasons of Public Health.

- Fill the document and send it after the quarantine period is completed by fax (22771496) or via email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), as stated in the form. The certificate will be sent back in the same way.

For general information, contact 1412 (08:00-20:00).

For any further instructions and clarifications, contact the Contact Tracing Team (22514241-5).

*Home quarantine may be monitored by either on-site or telephone checks. Persons under house isolation are required to comply with the regulation. In case of non-compliance, they may be exposed to legal actions.

**Return to work before 14 days may be approved for health professionals and other professionals in public or private hospitals after consultationby the local infection control committees or the safety manager of the hospital where they work. However, they are not exempt from social isolation in terms of their social and family contacts.

***In case the close contacts are not separated from the positive case, then they are released 14 days after their last contact with the case from the day that the positive case is released.

Also, if the suspected case is a person that need special care then one care-giver may stay together with the person that need special care in quarantine and apply for a certificate of absence from work.

Medical Services and Public Health Services

Ministry of Health

Advice on the use of mask:

https://www.pio.gov.cy/coronavirus/pdf/a3_mask_eng_web_pio.pdf

Instructions for precautionary measures and personal protection, in a community, against infection from COVID-19 virus

Measures for personal protection in a community:

In order to provide correct information to the public, the Unit for Epidemiological Monitoring and Control of Infectious Diseases and the members of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Health would like to state the following with regard to the issue of personal protection measures in public places (e.g. supermarkets, open air markets, pharmacies, banks and other work places). The choice to apply additional measures of personal protection, such as wearing gloves or a mask, is absolutely supplementary and should not replace the need to apply the remaining recommended protective measures which have a bigger impact on reducing the risk of spreading the virus Sars-CoV2. It is reminded that these measures are the following: keeping a distance of 2 metres from other people, avoiding gatherings in closed areas, keeping your hands clean (either with soap and water or with an alcoholic solution) and avoiding touching your face with your hands (with or without gloves) all the time you are outside your house.

Keeping your hands clean:

Keeping your hands clean is the most important measure in containing the spread of the virus. It is recommended that you wash your hands carefully and continuously either with soap and water or with an alcoholic antiseptic, especially after contact with publically used surfaces, as you leave the place you have just visited and as you enter your own personal areas, such as your car or your house. In parallel to this, you have to avoid at all times touching your face with your hands and if you have to do this, it must be done with clean hands.

Gloves:

Even though the use of gloves is recommended by many working places, with a view to prevent the spread of the virus SARS-CoV-2, keeping your hands clean before and after the use of gloves is imperative. In such cases, it is recommended that the gloves must be used immediately before entering public places and must be thrown away in a dustbin immediately after leaving a public place, where you have to follow the instructions about keeping your hands clean. It is not recommended to use gloves all the time while you are outside your house, because this creates a false sense of security and it increases the danger of non-compliance with the rest and the most important measures. Moreover, it must be noted that gloves are easily worn out, both while you are using them as well as from alcoholic solutions. If gloves are damaged or are used for prolonged periods of time, they must be properly disposed of and hands must be cleaned properly and if need be, use a new pair of gloves.

Mask:

Even though there is no recent and no accurate scientific data advocating the use of a mask in public places (places where health care is not available), the use of a mask aims at restricting the spread of discharge of the respiratory system by the person who is wearing the mask. Consequently, the mask can limit the spread of the virus to other people from symptomatic patients and or asymptomatic persons who are wearing a mask. It can also protect those wearing the mask from exposing directly their mouth and their nose to particles from other persons who are very close to them.

The use of a mask however is running the risk of creating a false sense of security. It must be pointed out that even when being used, the mask is an additional measure of protection. For this reason, all the remaining measures must be applied, such as keeping your hands clean, keeping a distance of 2 metres from other people and restricting – isolating positive cases and their contacts. As the mask can be damaged, it must be disposed of in dustbins after using it for some hours, when it is visibly dirty or wet, or as you leave closed areas where a mask was used.

The use of self-made cloth masks does not protect; on the contrary it exposes the user to danger. Furthermore, the use of a mask of high respiratory protection or a face shield in a community, provides absolutely no benefit, because the conditions which produce aerosol effect do not exist, as this happens in areas where health care is provided. Consequently, if a person decides to use a mask, it is recommended to use a simple surgical mask and follow the instructions of the manufacturer.

The Unit for Epidemiological Monitoring and Control of Infectious Diseases (PLEASE CHECK THE EXACT OFFICIAL TERM THEY USE IN ENGLISH) and the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Health stress that they are monitoring closely international bibliography and in cases of changes in existing data or instructions and measures relating to SARS-CoV-2 they will provide the Minister of Health with the relevant recommendations/modifications so that decisions will be taken and Cypriot citizens and those residing in the Republic of Cyprus will be informed in order to safeguard Public Health.

Finally, it is pointed out that the Scientific Advisory Committee makes announcements and recommendations on the basis of expertise, scientific data which is in place in other countries as well and following a study of medical bibliography.