21 new local cases of Covid-19 were found overnight by health authorities, while 32 newly arrived migrants also tested positive for the virus, authorities said on Monday.

In the same update, authorities said that 87 recoveries were registered overnight – a record high number for single-day recoveries from the virus.

This means that the number of active cases has dropped to 471. 

This number does not include the aforementioned migrants, after the government reached an agreement with the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) to exclude them from official figures on the basis that they are quarantined immediately upon arrival and hence have no exposure to the community.

This newsroom is informed that the migrants who tested positive arrived in Malta recently.

They were part of a group rescued recently and had initially tested negative. Migrants are placed in quarantine upon arrival in Malta and are tested for the Coronavirus.

Follow up tests are carried out on a regular basis.

A source said the migrants have been in Malta for a few weeks and were tested on a number of occasions. They were tested again over the weekend and 32 tested positive.

They are being segregated at the Armed Forces of Malta’s Lyster Barracks in Hal Far. The sources said there is no risk to the community.

Authorities said that today’s cases are still being investigated, but gave an update on Sunday’s new cases, where 15 new cases were registered.

Out of those 15, two were family members of a previously known case, two were direct contacts of a known case, four were work colleagues of positive cases, and four were contacts from social gatherings.

2,040 tests were carried out in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of swab tests so far up to 190,593.

Malta has had 1,883 cases of the virus so far, with 1,400 of those now recovered.  After two people – an 86-year-old woman and an 86-year-old man – passed away over the weekend, the death count now stands at 12.