Prime Minister Robert Abela will return back to Malta with his wife and child from a controversial Sicily trip amid a major COVID-19 spike.

Abela has made it a point to visit the Italian island recently, all while active cases of COVID-19 surged in Malta, getting caught on tape numerous times on his visit and received stinging criticism for it.

He was noticeably absent from a press conference with Health Minister Chris Fearne and Superintendent for Public Health Charmaine Gauci announcing a list of new measures to combat a spike of COVID-19 cases in Malta. OPM confirmed Abela was in Sicily rejoining a family holiday.

Following the government’s decision to open Malta’s port to tourism in July, the number of active cases has shot up from single digits to 607. The spike forced the government to act, introducing several social distancing measures and restrictions.

It is as yet unknown whether Abela tested for the virus before arriving in Sicily.

Should Abela have gone abroad? Comment below