Press Releases

1.    Who receives a Recovery SMS (COVID-19 Declaration Form of Positive Case and Release) which is used as SafePass?

A recovery message (SMS) for SafePass is received by all individuals who have been confirmed as positive COVID-19 cases in the last six months, have been reported to the Epidemiological Monitoring Unit and Control Unit for Infectious Diseases, and have been discharged by their Personal Doctor, or by the Release Team of the Ministry of Health.

The individual who has been diagnosed as a coronavirus positive case must have been reported to the Epidemiological Monitoring Unit and Control Unit for Infectious Diseases of the Ministry of Health within a reasonable period of time from the date of the result issuance.

The positive cases that are reported to Epidemiological Monitoring Unit and Control Unit for Infectious Diseases are traced and discharged on the basis of the protocol, either following actions by the Personal Doctor or by the Release Team of Epidemiological Monitoring Unit and Control Unit for Infectious Diseases (if there is no Personal Doctor).

Individuals who are registered in the archive of Epidemiological Monitoring Unit and Control Unit for Infectious Diseases and have contracted the COVID-19 virus, upon their release, will receive a recovery SMS stating the period of validity of the certificate.

2.    Who sends the recovery SMS for SafePass?

The recovery SMS is automatically sent from the platform of the Ministry of Health, provided that the Personal Doctor or, in the absence of one, the Release Team, follows the procedure and registers the release date on the platform.

3. I am a positive case and I haven’t been released by my Personal Doctor or the Release Team of the Ministry of Health. Am I entitled to a SafePass?

The Personal Doctor is responsible to release individuals who have been confirmed COVID-19 cases. The positive cases receive a recovery SMS after the end of their recovery, under the relevant Protocol. The recovery SMS is automatically sent from the platform, provided that the release process has been done correctly.

If the Personal Doctor cannot trace you on the platform or does not know the formal procedure of release, he/she will have to contact the Release Team of the Ministry of Health or refer to the instructions sent to him/her. If the release process is not properly completed, you will automatically receive an SMS from the platform 20 days from the day of the test through which you were diagnosed as a positive case.

In case you do not have a Personal Doctor you should refer to the Release Team of the Ministry of Health at covidfollowup@moh.gov.cy.

It is noted that deceased or hospitalized individuals will not receive a recovery SMS. Hospitalized individuals will receive automatically a recovery SMS, when they are released.

4. For how long a recovery SMS is valid for the SafePass and since when?

The validity period of the recovery SMS is 180 days from the date of the first positive test result. It is noted that the certificate is valid since the release of the positive case, therefore the first 14 or 20 days are considered disease days and are deducted from the 180 days.

5. I was a close contact, I have developed symptoms, I have not conducted a laboratory test but I have a certificate from my Personal Doctor or Pediatrician that confirms that I was infected by COVID-19. Am I entitled to the recovery SMS for the SafePass?

No. A recovery SMS is sent only to individuals who have been diagnosed and confirmed through a laboratory test that they were infected by COVID-19. Individuals who have an epidemiological connection and/or symptoms compatible with the coronavirus then are considered as suspect or possible cases according to the case definition https://www.pio.gov.cy/coronavirus/ and are not entitled to a recovery SMS, since they have not undergone a laboratory test, therefore they were not listed as confirmed COVID-19 cases.

6. I have a positive result that was not carried out in a clinical laboratory approved by the Ministry of Health either for RT-PCR or for rapid test, I was referred to the Epidemiological Monitoring Unit and Control Unit for Infectious Diseases, I was invited to do verification by the Public Health Clinics’ Coordination with PCR, but I did not do so. Am I entitled to the recovery SMS for SafePass?

All positive results that have been declared by laboratories which are not included in the relevant lists (the date on which sampling was carried out), as soon as they are referred to the Epidemiological Monitoring Unit and Control Unit for Infectious Diseases, they are referred to the Public Health Clinics’ Coordination for verification through the molecular method. If no confirmation is made, they remain possible cases. So you're not a recipient of a recovery SMS.

7. I have carried out a self-test (at home or through a private procedure) with a positive result, I remainedin self-isolation, but I did not register with the Epidemiological Monitoring Unit and Control Unit for Infectious Diseases, because I did not know where to turn to. Am I entitled to the SafePass?

No. Self-testing (at home or through a private procedure) is not a valid diagnostic test and is not accepted by the Epidemiological Monitoring Unit and Control Unit for Infectious Diseases, so in this case you are not a recipient of a recovery SMS.

8. Am I entitled to the recovery SMS for SafePass, if I have a positive result from a Clinical Laboratory approved by the Ministry of Health, but have I not been declared as a positive case in the Epidemiological Monitoring Unit and Control Unit for Infectious Diseases?

If the positive result had not been declared by the clinical laboratory that carried out this examination or for any other reason this positive result was not registered and as a result you were never contacted by an officer of the Tracing Team, you shall send the official declaration to contacttracing2@moh.gov.cy. Your request will be examined within a reasonable time and an officer of the Epidemiological Monitoring Unit and Control Unit for Infectious Diseases will contact you.

9. I do not have any positive results to prove I have been infected with the coronavirus, but I have an antibody test. Can I use it to receive the recovery SMS for SafePass?

No, you cannot. Laboratory antibody tests are not considered a laboratory criterion to confirm an individual as a positive case. Furthermore, it cannot demonstrate the date of illness of an individual in order to determine the duration of the recovery SMS validity.

10. I have a positive result from a laboratory that is on the list of laboratories that have verified the molecular methodology for virus detection (RT-PCR) or on the list of laboratories carrying out rapid tests that meet the minimum standards of the Ministry of Health, I was referred to the Epidemiological Monitoring Unit and Control Unit for Infectious Diseases, but I have not been called by the tracing unit nor received an SMS for release. Am I entitled to the recovery SMS for SafePass?

You should send the solemn declaration form to contacttracing2@moh.gov.cy, in order to investigate the reasons why no communication was made and to take appropriate corrective actions. If it is confirmed that you have been a positive case, then you will receive the recovery SMS. If any clarification is needed, you will be contacted by an Epidemiological Monitoring Unit and Control Unit for Infectious Diseases officer.

11. I had been declared as a positive case by a laboratory which is on the list of laboratories that have verified the molecular virus detection methodology (RT-PCR) or the list of laboratories carrying out rapid tests that meet the minimum standards of the Ministry of Health, I was referred to the Epidemiological Monitoring Unit and Control Unit for Infectious Diseases but I did not answer the phone when I was called by the Tracing Team. Can I get the recovery SMS for SafePass?

Yes, you should fill in the solemn declaration form and send it to contacttracing2@moh.gov.cy. An Epidemiological Monitoring Unit and Control Unit for Infectious Diseases officer will contact you within a reasonable period of time, in order to record your correct information on the platform and the recovery SMS can be sent to you.

12. I have changed my mobile phone number since the day I was reported as a positive coronavirus case or had originally given my home phone number. Can I now receive the recovery SMS for SafePass on my mobile phone?

You must fill in the solemn declaration form and send it to contacttracing2@moh.gov.cy. An Epidemiological Monitoring Unit and Control Unit for Infectious Diseases officer will contact you within a reasonable period of time, in order to record your correct information on the platform and the recovery SMS can be sent to you.

13. I have registered someone else’s phone number instead of mine. How do I get the SafePass recovery SMS on my phone?

You must fill in the solemn declaration form and send it to contacttracing2@moh.gov.cy. An Epidemiological Monitoring Unit and Control Unit for Infectious Diseases officer will contact you within a reasonable period of time, in order to record your correct information on the platform and the recovery SMS can be sent to you.

14. I have a positive test result from a foreign country within the last six months. Can you send me SafePass in order to move around in Cyprus?

If you are a permanent resident of Cyprus and were diagnosed positive in another country, then you are entitled to SafePass. However, you must request a certificate from an official body that manages the pandemic in the country where you have been diagnosed, stating the identification details (full name, identity and date of birth), the date of sampling and the result date with a clear positive result, as well as the methodology used for the diagnosis and send the certificate to contacttracing2@moh.gov.cy to be managed. Only certificates from an official body (Ministry of Health, Civil Protection, Epidemiological Monitoring Units, etc.) of the country where you were diagnosed in Greek or English language will be accepted. Please note that certificates from private or public laboratories, certificates by doctors and SMS of laboratory results will not be accepted.

15. I have a recovery SMS to use it as SafePass. Do I have the right to travel abroad with this, or to move freely in other countries with it?

At present SafePass can only be used at a national level and it does not replace either the CyprusFlightPass, nor the criteria that each country may have for controlling the movement within and outside its borders.

16. Can I send the recovery SMS to another person?

No, you cannot. The recovery SMS is clearly personal and should not be sent to any other person other than the positive case or its guardians. The messages are sent from an online platform and can be verified at any time by official bodies with the platform of confirmed cases of the Epidemiological Monitoring Unit and Control Unit for Infectious Diseases.

(MG/EK/MPO)