Prime Minister Robert Abela has said quarantine measures for people returning to Malta from countries at high risk of the COVID-19 coronavirus will remain voluntary for now.

“As of now our professional and medical advice is for self-quarantine measures to remain voluntary,” Abela told a press conference today. “I strongly appeal to people who are required to self-quarantine to observe this obligation. If the Department of Public Health advises us to make quarantine mandatory then that’s what will happen.”

People who have travelled to or transited through affected areas have been advised by the Maltese health authorities to quarantine themselves for 14 days from returning from the affected area.

Malta has registered five cases of the virus so far, with all patients believed to have contracted it while travelling through northern Italy. While the first three cases, a young girl and her parents, were roundly praised by the health authorities for respecting the self-quarantine rules, Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci has said that the fourth patient, a 49-year-old man hadn’t completely obliged with it. 

His 16-year-old daughter has also tested positive for the virus.

The Malta Medical Association has urged the government to enforce mandatory quarantine, complete with regular spot checks and heavy fines of up to €5,000 for those who fail to comply.

If you believe you are suffering from the coronavirus, follow the following guidelines:

Stay indoors and avoid contact with other people, as you would with the flu.

Do not go to Mater Dei, the emergency department, health centres, private clinics, or pharmacies. Stay home and call the public health authority’s helpline 111.

You can call +356 21324086 for advice.

Avoid calling 112 unless it is a real emergency. That emergency line is crucial in saving lives in peril, and having it be flooded with calls on the coronavirus could have fatal consequences.