Health Minister Chris Fearne today appealed for the public to act responsibly and follow the current Covid-19 rules, up until restrictions are further eased in April.

Speaking during the inauguration of a new garden dedicated for Covid-19 victims in Paola, Fearne said that restrictions must be followed in any mass event, including the current political events.

On the Covid-19 situation, Fearne said that the current increase in cases is due to the Omicron BA.2 sub-variant which is more transmissible than the Omicron variant. He also said that cold temperatures and the easing of restrictions which led to increased mobility for the public, also contributed to the increase in cases.

Fearne added that hospital and ITU cases are under control and are being mitigated by providing the necessary resources for the care of positive patients. Currently, Malta only has one positive case in the ITU, which Fearne said is the least number of cases since October of last year.

He said that the Omicron BA.2 variant cases are less severe without any major complications on patients. Fearne said that the government will continue to follow the planned exit roadmap for the country’s recovery from the pandemic.

On travelling, Fearne said that the current measures allow for a person to travel from red-listed countries without the need for quarantine provided they have a valid vaccine certificate. Those coming from dark red countries will need to quarantine for seven days even if they have a valid vaccine certificate.

Fearne said that there are discussions being made to ease travelling measures for the summer months, where travellers could present only a negative PCR test.

Discussions will also be made for travelling for youths aged 12 to 17 whose vaccine certificate will expire, and have not received the booster yet, as is the case for Malta and many other foreign countries, Fearne said.

Asked by the media whether children in schools will be obliged to wear masks in classrooms, Fearne said that while discussions are ongoing, it is likely that after the Easter holidays, it will not be obligatory to wear masks in classrooms.