Malta’s COVID-19 cases have seemingly started to decline. However, the number of patients within the Ħal Far Open Centre is still growing and the number of tests remains surprisingly low.

Daily updates from Superintendent for Public Health Charmaine Gauci have revealed that around 20 tests are conducted each day. The reason behind the low figure, Gauci told Lovin Malta, was because authorities were testing the centre section by section.

Today there were no new cases today, but even Gauci conceded that this number will grow.

The overwhelming majority of patients uncovered through random tests and residents living in overcrowded conditions means that the centre could face a potentially major outbreak. Questions will remain as to why a more aggressive testing process would be implemented.

It has worked elsewhere. Authorities have undergone an aggressive testing campaign in Malta, at points churning out over 1,000 a day, some of the highest per capita in the world.

It seems to have yielded results. Coupled with drastic but necessary social distancing measures, the testing campaign has allowed authorities to isolate patients to a point were the number of daily cases has reached a single digit.

The Ħal Far Open Centre is officially the country’s COVID-19 hotspot with 37 cases, and the figure has steadily increased ever since the first resident tested positive for the virus two weeks ago.

All positive cases and suspected patients have been isolated from the rest of the population. A mandatory quarantine placed on the centre that was set to expire on Sunday has been extended.

However, residents have raised concerns that preventative measures aren’t being enforced among the 1,000 strong population.

A series of photos and videos published by Lovin Malta showed how large groups of people still occupy the centre’s very limited public spaces.

The Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers has backed the measures taken so far.

Serious debate has emerged over Malta’s policy for asylum seekers in recent days. The country’s decision to close its ports to asylum seekers is still subject to intense discussion, with the Prime Minister facing a murder investigation after fiver asylum seekers perished around Maltese territorial waters.

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.

If you are returning from any country, do not break self-quarantine rules or you will be subject to a €10,000 fine.

Public gatherings of more than three persons are also no longer allowed, with the police now able to dish out a €100 fine