Covid-19 measures are to be eased as from Monday as the government continues with its exit plan to bring the country back to normality.

Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne said that the four-household limit imposed for indoor home activities will be completely removed.

Visiting hours at Mater Dei Hospital will be extended again, and the new visiting hours will be announced on the hospital's website.

Passengers coming to Malta from dark red zone countries will be required to quarantine for 10 days, and not 14, as from 14 February.

Those passengers coming to Malta from abroad who are required to quarantine will be allowed to do so at their place of residence, instead of at a quarantine hotel, even if they only have a work permit. Fearne explained that this change in Covid rules will help companies who wish to employ people from abroad avoid paying for a quarantine hotel.

Quarantine hotels will be used for people who are expected to quarantine but do not have a residency or work permit.

Children who are fully vaccinated, with both doses, will be allowed to travel normally, without the need for a PCR test.

From next Monday (7 February), the health authorities will be accepting valid Covid vaccines from passengers coming from Jordan and the Maldives, meaning arrivals from these countries will not need to quarantine.

Minister Fearne gave a roundup of measures that the health authorities plan on easing in the future, but did not give a specific date for any of them, apart from the measure related to weddings.

He highlighted that the health authorities' goal is to remove the vast majority of Covid-19 measures which are in place to date by the end of spring and the beginning of summer. This is all dependent on the situation at the time.

As from 1 April, weddings will be allowed to organise standing events with up to 300 people, while seated weddings will remain with a capping of 500.

Fearne clarified that one will not be allowed to organise a wedding with 500 people seated AND another 300 people standing. One cannot have both, but needs to choose.

He also said that the reason as to why they are announcing the date related to weddings is because it takes a significant amount of time to plan such an event.

In May and June, the health authorities are planning on increasing this number so that one can have a normal wedding, but this depends on the situation.

Cultural and social events as well as nightclubs will eventually face a change in restrictions, but Fearne did not give out any details as to when and how this will be carried out. Changes in restrictions will be announced in the coming weeks. 

"The exit roadmap can only happen because we have a significant number of people who are vaccinated, but one must always keep in mind that these restrictions will be eased if the situation remains under control," Fearne said.

Considering the drop in active Covid-19 cases, Fearne noted that the situation within Malta's hospitals, especially the ITU, is stable. This provides peace of mind that hospitals can take care of non-Covid patients as well.

More than 333,000 people are vaccinated with the booster vaccine - 78% of the population.

40% of children aged between five and 11 years old received the first Covid vaccine. The inoculation of the second dose for children is currently ongoing.

Fearne encouraged the public to register for the vaccine through the website or to make use of the walk-in clinics which are located in Paola, the University of Malta and Kerċem in Gozo. For children, one can make use of walk-in clinics located at the University of Malta and the Gozo General Hospital.

"The exit roadmap will not be a one-day race, but will be a slow and steady process by which we will ease measures slowly, thoroughly analysing their effect. If all goes well, the relaxation of measures will remain," Fearne said.

Speaking about the quarantine period, Fearne announced that from 21 February, adult primary contacts will be required to quarantine for five days instead of seven days, if the positivity rate continues to drop. They will also be required to present a negative test.

People who are secondary contacts are not required to quarantine.

Fearne noted that the next step will then be to end quarantine for primary contacts, "and then we'll look at quarantine for actual positive cases."

Children, aged between 5 and 11 years will now be required to quarantine for seven days, instead of 14 days, if they were in primary contact with a positive case and are fully vaccinated.

Answering questions posed by the media regarding the 3-month validity rule for the Covid-19 vaccine certificate, Fearne said that these discussions are still ongoing, "but up till now we stand by our argument on this matter. There are no plans to make any changes."

Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci confirmed that the majority of positive cases in Malta are coming from households, workplaces as well as social events.

"When one looks at the situation within schools, the majority of children over 12 years of age are experiencing only few clusters, thanks to the vaccine. This goes to show that the vaccine is also helping avoid the spread of the virus within schools, " Gauci said.

Asked about whether the health authorities are considering making any changes to the rules related to funerals and burials of those people who were positive for Covid, Fearne said that these measures are being analysed to find the best way forward on the matter.

"We will be able to announce certain measures about this in the coming days," Fearne said.

On the situation within classrooms, as some have complained on why they are being forced to keep their windows and doors wide open, Gauci explained that "ventilation is of extreme importance as it helps prevent the spread of the virus."