Be the first to comment!Update: Self-testing for Covid now permitted, feasts allowed from this weekend
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Update with PN statement below – Self-testing kits for Covid-19 will now be accepted as from this week and will be available for sale, Health Minister Chris Fearne announced during an interview on TVAM on Monday.
Anyone who tests positive is asked to inform their doctor, as well as the authorities on 111. Quarantine remains obligatory if positive, Fearne said. A further test should be made at the end of 7-days quarantine, this also applies to those in the same residence.
He also said that a second booster for care home residents and the vulnerable are to be offered on a voluntary basis. Dr Fearne added that the vaccine certificate will not be affected if anyone does not wish to take the second booster.
Dr Fearne said that cases in the community have increased over the past days with a seven-day moving average of 640 cases daily.
ITU cases have however remained low, he said, with only 5 people currently in the ITU. Fearne stressed that this was the lowest rate in Europe and that is because immunity in the community is strong.
As regards the further lifting of restrictions, from next Sunday the 10th of April, feasts and processions may be held, Dr Fearne said, with standing activities permitted.
Those held outdoors will not require a vaccine certificate, neither do seated indoor activities, however standing indoor events will still require a certificate.
As from next Monday the 11th of April, travellers to Malta from a red list country can now enter the country with either a recovery certificate or a negative PCR test without quarantine, said Fearne.
He also said that masks will no longer be obligatory in schools after the Easter holidays.
Update – Nationalist Party statement
The Nationalist Party welcomed news of the further relaxation of Covid restrictions.
The PN reiterated its view that there should be more trust in the people, and therefore the introduction of self-testing kits will continue to help better control the virus, while not restricting the freedom of individuals.
Photo by Alain Salvary – The Passion in the Lunzjata Valley
