Increase in the maximum number of seated persons in organized activities
Reduced quarantine for people with the vaccine certificate
Booster dose will begin to be given from mid-September to the elderly in institutions and immunosuppressed people
From Monday 16 August the controlled events will be able to accommodate a maximum of 300 people seated, while from 30 August, the maximum amount allowed will rise to 500 seated people.
This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Chris Fearne during a news conference where he explained that the protocols of the Health Authorities for seated events must be observed at all times. He reiterated that although the amounts of new cases registered every day are not small, through the vaccine against COVID-19 our country is in a situation where it does not have to increase the restrictions, rather we are reducing them, with caution.
Deputy Prime Minister Fearne said that to date, 86% of adults are fully vaccinated while of children aged 12 to 15, 68% have taken the first dose and 39% are completely vaccinated. also vaccinated.
The Deputy Prime Minister announced that from 16 August 2021 also, fully vaccinated persons who are in contact with a positive person and will therefore be obliged to start a quarantine will be required to make a quarantine of only 7 days, instead of 14- day — this until a swab test is performed on day 7, which results in a negative.
Regarding this new measure, the Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci explained that the 7-day quarantine for people holding the vaccine certificate does not apply to those who are positive for COVID-19, for people living in the same residence with a positive person, for people living in institutions, and in the case of travel-related quarantine. She explained that those who are eligible for the reduced quarantine can apply for the swab test from https://covidtest.gov.mt/ and that for the appointment the quarantine letter, the certificate of vaccine and identification document.
Regarding the vaccination of pregnant women, the Deputy Prime Minister explained that following the revised advice of the Malta College of Obstetricians and Gyneagologists and following discussions with the Chairperson of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, the advice of the Health Authorities is that pregnant women can be vaccinated in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, after taking advice from their attending physician.
On the booster dose, Deputy Prime Minister Fearne stated that health experts analyzed the level of immunity in the community, the effectiveness of the vaccine on specific groups of people, including those who are immunosuppressed and vulnerable elderly as well as the situation of new variants in the community. He explained that although so far there is no evidence that the vaccine immunity is being weakened among those who were among the first to be vaccinated, in view of the Delta variant, which is currently the dominant variant in 95% of active cases, and as there are people with conditions that alleviate the effectiveness of the vaccine, from mid-September one booster dose will be given to people who are immunocompromised and elderly residents in nursing homes. While the elderly will be vaccinated in the institutions themselves, people who are ‘immunocompromised’ will receive a letter at home with an appointment for the booster.
Deputy Prime Minister Fearne also announced that as of this week Malta has begun recognizing the vaccine certificate issued by the Albanian and Qatar Authorities, while he said that discussions are currently underway with the Canadian Authorities. , Australia and Israel.
