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23-10-2020 13:05

Update of instructions for visits to Homes for the Elderly and Incapacitated, Child and Juvenile Protection State Institutions, and 24-hour Care Centres for the Disabled.

The Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance with the concurrent opinion of the Ministry of Health informs the public of the following:

Taking into consideration the recent developments of the epidemiological situation prevailing in our country due to the increase of COVID-19 cases and in an effort to contain the detected sources of outbreaks and chains of transmission, the following measures are modified and put into effect as of today, 23 October 2020: 

  • Visits to the State, Private and Communal Homes for the Elderly and Incapacitated/Carers, Child and Juvenile Protection State Institutions, as well as 24-hour Care Centres for the Disabled are allowed as follows:

Each tenant may be visited by a relative up to two times a week upon a prior telephone arrangement with the owner or/and manager or/and administrator of State, Private and Communal Homes for the Elderly and Incapacitated, Child and Juvenile Protection State Institutions, as well as 24-hour Care Centres for the Disabled, fixing the day and time for the visit and also the time duration of the visitor’s stay in the premises, not exceeding one hour.

The arrangement should be such as to allow for the measures of physical social distancing and congestion avoidance to be observed, that is  a distance of at least one metre between the tenants, the personnel and the visitors. Visits must be recorded for the purpose of possible need for tracing.

The visitors shall be obliged to observe and implement strict hand hygiene during the visits. Provided that all precautionary measures announced by the Ministry of Health and which are posted on the website https://www.pio.gov.cy/coronavirus/press.html continue in force. The active monitoring by the personnel of the Centres of all persons entering these premises is mandatory.

The compulsory and proper use of a protective facemask is indispensable for adult visitors and children less than 12 years of age entering the premises, in accordance with the revised Decree as of 15/10/2020, https://www.pio.gov.cy/coronavirus/uploads/dia_n3.pdf, and after thermometry. At the same time, a brief interview will be conducted by an employee of the Centre, so as to deny entry in the following cases:

1. to visitors who came into close contact with a suspected or confirmed outbreak or with a recent travelling background

2. to visitors presenting any symptoms which are compatible with an infection of the respiratory system (e.g. coughing, fever or temperature rise, runny nose, weakness-exhaustion).

  • Sorties of the tenants from the Homes should be limited to those strictly necessary, accompanied by the necessary protection measures as announced by the Ministry of Health.
  • The use of facemask is mandatory in elevators. The use of elevators should be limited where possible and when in use the number of persons must not exceed two.
  • A letter has been sent to the Owners/Managers/Administrators of State, Private and Communal Homes for the Elderly and Incapacitated/Carers, Child and Juvenile Protection State Institutions, as well as 24-hour Care Centres for the Disabled stating in more detail the protection measures and the relevant instructions, in accordance with the instructions of the Health Ministry.

It is also recalled that all the protection measures announced by the Ministry of Health and which are posted on the website https://www.pio.gov.cy/coronavirus/press.html, should be strictly observed by all the personnel of the above Centres.

For support or clarifications you may contact the local District Welfare Offices the telephone numbers of which are listed on the website of the Social Welfare Services or at the electronic address central.sws@sws.misi.gov.cy .

 

(ND)