However, MAM President Martin Balzan told Lovin Malta that the real risk lies in tourists coming to Malta from Northern Italy.

“Residents of Malta have a vested interest in self-quarantining but tourists have absolutely no interest in self-quarantining,” he said. “All it will take is one infected tourist to go about their normal business, perhaps go to a club in Paceville, and then that would be it.”

“The virus is, by and large, being contained in other countries but it’s an epidemic in Northern Italy and the fewer people who travel between there and Malta the better.”

“You can’t advise Maltese people not to travel to Northern Italy and tell them to self-quarantine if they do, but then allow tourists from highly-infected areas like Bergamo to just come here. It’s not consistent.”

Fearne today played down calls for the suspension of flights from Northern Italy, as other international airlines have done, stating that international health experts have advised him against such a move and noting that the patient had actually returned on a flight from Rome. However, he admitted the situation is very fluid and his stance could change depending on potential developments.

Asked about this statement, Balzan said it is unlikely that residents of Northern Italy will travel all the way down to Rome so as to catch a flight to Malta and that “the fewer the seats, the fewer the opportunities.”

“We were lucky that it took a long time for Malta to get the first case and we were lucky that this child’s parents were responsible. We might not be that lucky next time.”

He said Mater Dei’s medical consultants had unanimously backed this stance during a recent meeting and that the Employment Relations Board was also completely in favour of it.

Meanwhile, the UĦM has warned of industrial action if the Superintendent of Public Health doesn’t provide immediate training and preparation to all its health employees so as to minimise the risk of the virus to workers.