Malta has imposed a hefty €10,000 fine, up from €3,000, on COVID-19 patients caught leaving their homes when they are supposed to be recovering in isolation.

The new fine was announced in the government’s daily COVID-19 bulletin this evening and will be published in an upcoming legal notice.

“Responsibility is necessary in order for our country to fight the spread of COVID-19,” the bulletin read.

Malta has so far confirmed 107 COVID-19 patients, with the latest 17 announced earlier today, and two official recoveries. The majority of these patients have been discharged from hospital and are recovering at home in isolation under medical observation.

The patients will be tested for the virus again two weeks following the date they were discharged from hospital.