The decision to temporarily close the hotel was taken as a preventive measure and in the best interests of the hotel’s residents and its employees.

According to doctors, outbreaks of Legionnaires’ Disease occur after people have inhaled the mist that comes from water sources such as air-conditioning units, whirlpool spas and showers which are contaminated with Legionella bacteria.

In a statement issued jointly by the Public Health Department and the Malta Tourism Authority, the authorities said they had agreed to temporarily close the hotel as a precautionary measure, on the grounds of public health concerns.

The department and the authority insisted that the “temporary closure of this hotel is a precautionary measure taken in the best interest of tourists and the local tourism industry and should not be a cause of concern for guests and staff of the hotel”.

They said the hotel management and the tour operators involved had already taken the

steps necessary to relocate the guests and find alternative accommodation for them for the remainder of their holiday.

The statement continued that the Public Health Department was proceeding with its investigations into the situation, which is being monitored by the Malta Tourism Authority.

Sources close to the health authorities who spoke to The Malta Independent said the situation, although serious, was not a cause for alarm. The sources said the decision to carry out investigations inside the hotel was taken after the Public Health Department received a number of reports of cases of this kind of respiratory disease.

A number of deficiencies were discovered from tests carried out on site by the authorities. These, along with reports of the prevalence of the disease, obliged the authorities to decide to temporarily close the hotel, in the best interest of its guests and employees.

Doctors said that patients with Legionnaires’ Disease usually have a fever, chills and, sometimes, a cough, which at times is dry. Some patients may have aching muscles, a headache, a feeling of tiredness, loss of appetite and, occasionally, diarrhoea.