Malta to Scrap Test Requirement for Minors From June 6
The Maltese website for official news related to travel, Visit Malta made the announcement, indicating that the coastal country is gradually reopening to pre-pandemic levels, AtoZSerwisPlus.mt reports.
Last week, the Maltese authorities abolished the countries’ categorisation, 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 per cent 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.
“From next week, face masks will no longer need to be mandatory in air travel in all cases, broadly aligning with the changing requirements of national authorities across Europe for public transport,” Patrick Ky, the Executive Director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), has said regarding the mask requirement.
More specifically, travellers from Austria, Portugal, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Malta, Estonia, Luxembourg, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Italy, Latvia, and Spain, regardless of their vaccination status, have to wear a mask while flying to these destinations.
Malta’s neighbouring countries, like Italy, are still keeping entry rules in place, despite removing several restrictions. As the Italian Health Minister noted, all travellers to Italy have to present a valid test, vacation and recovery certificate in order to enter the country.
