Customers returned to the streets of Sliema as non-essential shops reopened on Monday after a six-week or so period of closure.

The shops were, along with a raft of other outlets, closed in March as the government responded to a renewed spike in Covid-19 cases which saw the number of active cases of the virus shoot up beyond 3,000.

However, after something of a semi-lockdown, the second round of relaxed measures came into force on Monday – with non-essential shops and services allowed to resume operation.

The Malta Independent photographer Giuseppe Attard captured clients returning to clothes stores and others in Sliema on the first day of the reopening.

The government already allowed the reopening of schools two weeks ago, and as cases continued to decrease, Health Minister Chris Fearne confirmed last week that the next phase of relaxation measures would go ahead as planned.

Restrictions on public gatherings were also lifted from two people to four people as from Monday.

The next phase of reopening was announced on Sunday, and is scheduled for 10 May, when restaurants and snack bars will be allowed to open until 5pm and when some sporting activity will be allowed to resume.

Malta currently has 422 active cases of the virus, after just 15 cases were reported on Monday  - a far cry from the single-day high of over 500 cases reported on the day that renewed restrictive measures were announced six weeks ago.