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Economy Minister Silvio Schembri (standing) enjoing a good company, Source: Silvio Schembri on Facebook

Zero new Covid cases in Malta

Zero new Covid cases in Malta

Bars, cinemas and theatres reopen; Government vouchers may be used in hotels, restaurants and shops

For the first time since last summer, Malta today reported no new cases of Covid-19. The good news came in a Tweet by Deputy PM and Health Minister Chris Fearne. Congratulating his fellow countrymen, he warned that maintaining discipline and a sense of responsibility would be essential.

EU’s vaccination leader

The last day with zero Covid cases in the island nation with a population of about half a million was 25 July 2020. As Europe was gripped by the second coronavirus wave in the autumn, however, cases in Malta began rising slowly to reach 510 a day in March. To curb transmission, the government imposed a series of restrictions and ramped up the vaccine rollout. Over the last month, new cases were coming down to a trickle.

Now, Malta has emerged as EU’s vaccination leader, with 75 percent of Maltese adults having received at least one dose of the vaccine. This makes Malta the first EU member state to achieve herd immunity and obviously accounts for the country’s zero Covid positivity rate.

As part of the scheduled easing of restrictions, the government has allowed bars, cinemas and theatres to reopen as of today. Gyms, swimming pools and day centres are already operating and restaurants serve guests until later in the evening.

Government vouchers scheme kicks off

From today, Malta residents who have digitally downloaded their Government vouchers may start using them in hotels, restaurants and shops of their choice. Economy Minister Silvio Schembri announced on his Facebook page that around 118,000 people had downloaded the EUR 100 vouchers to their phones. Printed vouchers will start to be mailed to all those who are eligible and have not managed to download them through the app by the 4 June deadline.

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