Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci said one Coronavirus case was registered today, while 12 patients have recovered.
This brings the total number of cases registered since 7 March to 468, with four patients dying.
The total number of recovered cases as of today is 379, which leaves 85 active cases.
The 12 patients who have recovered are: three in their 20s, five in their 30s, two in their 40s and two in their 50s.
The number of tests carried out yesterday was 944, bringing the total number of cases to 35,000
The single new case registered today is of a Sudanese 27-year-old migrant at the Hal Far open centre, which brings the total number of migrants who conmtracted the disease to 50.
The centre will remain under quarantine, and residents have been divided into clusters as they undergo quarantine.
Asked what would happen if in the upcoming weeks there will be a fresh spike in cases, Gauci said that the decision to relax certain restrictions has been based on evidence. The revised restrictions will be evaluated in three weeks’ time. However she warned that people should not take the decision to ignore other restrictions.
We have worked hard and carried out many sacrifices to ensure that we keep such numbers down. If we see that these measures are not being followed and we see the number of cases will rise, we will have to reverse decisions taken.
She said that shoppers and bus commuters are to wear face masks. When asked for more details regarding shoppers in clothes shops, Gauci said that it is up to owners to allow shoppers to take garments home to try them on. “The changing rooms must remain shut, as in such a small area, there is a high risk that someone can come into contact with the virus. If owners do allow shoppers to return garments, the clothes must not be used again for 72 hours.”
She said that a legal notice introducing these changed measures into law will be published before Monday and those enforcement officers will monitor shops to ensure they are obeying the law.
When asked whether churches will soon reopen, Gauci said that it is still too early to reopen churches for people to attend religious services. She also said that it is too early to open children's parks.
Just a few weeks ago, Gauci said that it was not obligatory for individuals to wear face masks. “We have been evaluating the situation and now that we are in a phase where we begin relaxing measures, we are taking certain risks, so we are advising people to wear masks in shops and buses.” She added that such face masks are required to protect people from asymptomatic carriers, those people who have the virus but exhibit no symptoms.
Regarding the prefabricated hospital, Gauci explained that preparations are still on-going, despite the drop in new daily cases.