Coronavirus: How to send 8998 message

As of Sunday, January 10, 2021, at 5am, in order to move around for purposes other than to go to work the public will have to send a text message and get permission, and can do so twice a day. The deputy ministry of innovation on Saturday outlined the procedure.

The first is by sending a text message or SMS to 8998, free of charge

The structure of message should be:

X (number corresponding to the reason of movement) [space] Identification number [space] Home Postcode

The Χ stands for a number between 1 and 8 that corresponds to the reason for leaving the house.

These are: 1: Pharmacy or blood donation or doctor visit or Covid test or vaccination, 2: Shopping for supplies/services, including take away, 3: Bank, if an online transaction is not possible, 4: Absolutely necessary visit to government departments or departments of the wider public sector or local administration, 5: To help people who cannot look after themselves or cannot protect themselves or are in isolation at home or designated quarantine premises, 6: Physical exercise or individual training provided access is allowed at the venue, 7: To attend a funeral, wedding, christening, by first and second degree relatives who do not exceed 10 or for individual prayer, 8: Any other reason that can be justified on the basis of the restrictions

Cypriot citizens should use their ID card number, while European citizens and third-country nationals their Alien Registration Number (ARC) or their registration certificate or residence permit; foreign passport or identity card number, diplomatic passport number.

There will be four different replies to the SMS: approval, rejection due to the structure of the message, rejection for exceeding the maximum number of movements allowed, and rejection for non-compliance with the curfew.

Approval will be valid for a reasonable period of time depending on the category of movement sought.

People must carry their identity card or passport or other identification document in case they are stopped by police.

Those who have a problem with the 8998 number can call 80012012 from Cypriot phone numbers and +357 22 285777 for foreign numbers, from 5am to 9pm.

The website www.pio.gov.cy/coronavirus provides comprehensive information on how to obtain authorisation for movement in exceptional cases