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Malta’s New Face Covering Law Includes Visors Despite Legal Notice Only Referring To Masks

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Visors are covered by a new legal notice making the wearing of face coverings in certain places mandatory, a spokesperson for Health Minister Chris Fearne has confirmed.

Legal notice 326 of 2020, published earlier this week following a surge in new COVID-19 cases, states that people inside retail outlets, traveling on public transport and the Gozo ferry and within the airport terminal must wear a medical or cloth mask at all times.

The legal notice makes no reference to visors.

Anyone who falls foul of the law shall be liable to a €100 fine, which will be reduced to €50 if they admit to the offence and pay the fine before the case reaches court.

The scientific evidence around the effectiveness of visors is mixed. While their use has been widespread globally, including in Malta, since the start of the pandemic, the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend them for everyday activities as a substitute for masks.

The Swiss health authorities have also warned against using visors after an investigation into a COVID-19 outbreak at a hotel found that people wearing visors were infected, while people wearing masks weren’t.

READ NEXT: Education Minister Floats 'Class Bubbles' Idea As Maltese Schools Set To Reopen Next Month

Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]

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