Britons returning from northern Italy are being told to self-isolate if they show Coronavirus symptoms, the BBC reports.
Several Italian towns in the Lombardy and Veneto regions are in lockdown. On Tuesday, Italy reported the first Coronavirus case in Sicily.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said people with flu-like symptoms coming back from north of Pisa should stay at home for 14 days.
The advice also applies to anyone who recently returned from Italy's quarantined towns even if they have no symptoms, he said.
“Those who have been to northern Italy - north of Pisa - if they have flu-like symptoms should self-isolate," Hancock said on BBC Breakfast.
He added: "If people have been to the affected areas that the Italian government have quarantined then they should self-isolate whether or not they have symptoms."
The Health Secretary said he was not aware of any British citizens currently in the Italian quarantine area, where 50,000 residents have been told they cannot leave for two weeks without special permission. If any UK citizens are in the lockdown towns, they should contact the embassy in Rome, he said.
The change in advice means that the Italian towns under containment measures are now in the same category as Wuhan in China, where the Coronavirus outbreak began.
There are several flights from Malta to northern Italy, including to the cities of Milan, Pisa and Venice.