From July, a fully vaccinated person can go out without a mask in open places.
By evening, 70% of Maltese and Gozitan adults will have received at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. This was emphasized by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Chris Fearne during a news conference during which it was announced that our country is the first European country to achieve ‘herd immunity’.
“Although the virus is still with us, the transmission from one person to another has decreased drastically, however the virus is still active around the world and therefore in Malta we must remain vigilant”, said the Deputy Prime Minister, while recalling how only 10% of the world’s population is vaccinated against COVID-19. He stressed that after more than 475,000 doses, almost 42% of the Maltese public is completely vaccinated and that this has led to a reduction of 95% of the patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at Mater Dei Hospital.
He also explained that a number of talks are underway with stakeholders from the social and cultural field in order to draw up a gradual and secure plan for the release of further measures from next July. “The key to everything is the vaccination rate and the more people are vaccinated the more we will be able to release the measures quickly,” he said. He reminded that it is crucial that we continue to register low numbers of COVID-19 cases in order to keep our country on the green list of other countries, as the tourism sector in our country generates more than 70,000 jobs.
The Deputy Prime Minister has announced that if the number of cases remains low, from 1 July, a person vaccinated with two doses can stay without a mask in open places. The use of the mask will be considered mandatory in enclosed spaces and when gathering groups of more than two people in public. “This is an example of how vaccinated people can return to normalcy”, continued the Deputy Prime Minister, while urging that those who have not yet been vaccinated register for the vaccine on vaccine.gov.mt. He expressed satisfaction that within a week of the opening of vaccination for people under the age of 30, 52% of this group had been vaccinated or applied for the vaccine.
Superintendent of Public Health Professor Charmaine Gauci provided a list of the restrictions that have been released and the protocols associated with each activity. The protocols can be found at https://deputyprimeminister.gov.mt/en/health-promotion/covid-19/Pages/mitigation-conditions-and-guidances.aspx.
Photo: Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne, left and Professor Charmaine Gauci.
