As a result of the new COVID-19 travel rules, Maltese residents who are currently quarantined at a hotel will be able to leave the building on Friday and continue their quarantine at home. 

Health authorities confirmed with Lovin Malta that these people will be able to continue their two-week quarantine at home, meaning if they’ve already spent a week at a hotel they will only have to spend another week at home.

They must first apply for authorisation at the Travel Section of the Health Ministry, where they must submit their personal details.

Health Minister Chris Fearne announced today that Maltese residents who travel from ‘dark red’ countries will be able to spend their quarantine period at home, rather than in a hotel.

To avail of this right, residents must be fully vaccinated, be in possession of a vaccine certificate recognised by the health authorities and live in a household with a maximum of five people, all of whom must also be fully vaccinated.

An updated list of ‘dark red’ countries will also be published to reflect the health authorities’ concern over the so-called Mu variant, rather than the Delta variant.

Meanwhile, the Nationalist Party has called for a full and immediate refund to all residents who were forced to stay at a hotel in recent months, a proposal Fearne was noncommittal on at today’s press conference. 

Cover photo: Left: A quarantine hotel room, Right: Health Minister Chris Fearne