Mater Dei will set up 12 beds just outside the hospital as a precautionary measure against the Coronavirus, Health Minister Chris Fearne announced earlier today.

The beds will be set up near the hospital by the end of the week and will treat any patients with mild cases of Coronavirus, Fearne said in a press conference. Meanwhile, serious outbreaks of the virus will be dealt with at the Infectious Disease Unit in the hospital.

In addition, health clinics and emergency departments now also have designated isolation rooms. Aside from this, if a GP alerts authorities that someone may be infected with Coronavirus, they can be isolated at home.

Fearne also noted that those who come in contact with an infected person will also be isolated for a period of 15 days, and if an outbreak of the virus occurs in Gozo, then the infected will be isolated in Malta. The minister also noted that Chinese food, parcels and packages are not at risk of transmitting the virus as long as they were sent 48 hours before.

Though Fearne was quick to note that there have been no reported cases of Coronavirus in Malta, the infectious virus has made its way to Europe, with cases being reported in Germany and France.

Malta International Airport is also screening anyone coming from cities in which cases of the virus have been recorded at an isolation area located in the airport.

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