A woman travelling to Malta to visit her sister for her 50th birthday was forced to undergo quarantine in a hotel, even when presenting a vaccine certificate and negative PCR test upon arrival at Malta’s airport.

She was denied entry into Malta on 13th September, travelling back from Greece, having presented both a valid vaccine certificate and a negative PCR test upon arrival.

“I can only describe it as feeling like an animal in a holding pen,” the woman told Lovin Malta. 

The woman, an Italian national residing in South Africa, was in possession of her Vaccine Certificate, after having received her last dose of the Pzifer vaccine on 10 August 2021.

Upon arrival in Malta, the woman was told by health officials that she had two options, either to fly out of Malta again or to go into quarantine at a hotel designated by the MTA for 14 days.

She waited for the next hour, awaiting the designated transport to be sent to the hotel.

“An hour later, myself and five other passengers were frog-marched to a shuttle bus to be driven to the designated hotel,” she recounted. The experience only worsened as time went by, as the woman also underwent what she described as “the worst customer treatment” upon arrival at the hotel.

“I have travelled in many third world countries but the reception I received at the Bayview Hotel at 3am in the morning can only be described as dismal beyond belief. The staff clearly know that they have a captive audience having received guests designated by MTA at double their average going rate of Euro 100 when their rooms are being advertised at €46 per night. This begs the question where does the balance of the €54 go to?”, the woman questioned.

Four days later, the woman is still stuck in quarantine and has been unsuccessful in reaching the authorities.

She has contacted all possible helplines related to COVID-19 in Malta and even uploaded all of the necessary documents that one needs in order to not be subject to quarantine.

“I have been nothing but stoned walled at every opportunity possible without resolution and all the while paying for the hotel designated by the authorities at almost double the current going rate is pure extortion!”, the woman stressed. 

She also expressed how there was not a lack of attempting to resolve the situation from her side, but her situation remains.

What do you make of this?