Malta lifts the requirement to present a negative COVID-19 test report for children under 12 years, and the new rule will commence on June 6, Monday.
The Maltese website for official news related to travel, Visit Malta, announced that the coastal country is gradually reopening to pre-pandemic levels.
Last week, the Maltese authorities abolished the countries’ categorization, which determined entry rules for travellers based on their country’s epidemiological situation. Instead, entry to Malta is granted only to those who can present a valid vaccination or negative test certificate.
“Test taken not more than 72 hours prior to arrival/Negative Rapid Test taken not more than 24 hours prior to arrival – will still be required for travel to Malta, with children aged six or younger being exempt from presenting any of the above-mentioned documents,” the authorities had previously pointed out.
Failing to present any of these documents, a ten-day quarantine awaits the traveller, reduced to seven days, provided a negative test result is provided on this day. Moreover, the requirement to present a Passenger Locator Form (PLF) has also been abolished.
Malta has registered a total of 93,682 infection cases with COVID-19 since the pandemic started, with 641 of those being reported in the last seven days. As the data from the World Health Organisation reveals, 714 deaths were recorded in Malta since March 2020 – one of those being recorded this week.
The majority of the Maltese population is vaccinated against the virus, as 86 per cent have received the primary course of vaccinations. In addition, 67.2 percent of the population have been administered a booster shot, while 87.2 per cent have received only one shot of the vaccine against Coronavirus.
The average uptake of the primary course in Malta is higher than the average of EU/EEA countries, which stands at 72.6 per cent.
However, the requirement to wear a face-covering during travel to Malta remains, although the European authorities have recommended lifting those.
