Travel Guidelines – COVID-19 Malta

GUIDELINES FOR

Travel and Tourism

The scope of this page is to present guidelines to guide the operations of the various sectors of the travel and tourism industry in relation to the COVID-19 situation. The information herein has been approved by the Health Authorities and addresses feedback received from the industry representatives and other stakeholders. Updating of the page shall take place as necessary.

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Guidance for Travellers

Legislation: LN42 of 2020_Travel Ban Order.pdf. This legislation is being updated to cover no.1 below.

Travel in High Risk Countries

Persons entering Malta from any other country from 13:00CET on 13 March 2020 onwards must spend 14 days in mandatory quarantine, which 14 days start from the last day that they were in any of these countries. This is enforceable by law. Failures to observe this obligation will result in fines of €3,000.
Persons entering Malta after having travelled in any of the following countries at any time from 27 February 2020 onwards must spend 14 days in mandatory quarantine, which 14 days start from the last day that they were in any of these countries. This is enforceable by law. Failures to observe this obligation will result in fines of €3,000.
- Italy
- China (including Hong Kong)
- Singapore
- Japan
- Iran
- South Korea
Persons entering Malta after having travelled in any of the following countries at any time from 11 March 2020 onwards must spend 14 days in mandatory quarantine, which 14 days start from the last day that they were in any of these countries. This is enforceable by law. Failures to observe this obligation will result in fines of €3,000.
- Spain
- Germany
- France
- Switzerland
Persons living in the same households as any of the above persons (nos. 1 to 3) must also spend 14 days in mandatory quarantine. This is enforceable by law. Failures to observe this obligation will result in fines of €3,000.

Travel in Countries with Local Transmission

In the following countries there is ongoing local transmission of the Novel Coronavirus. Avoid non-essential travel to these countries. (List subject to change at any time.)

Europe	Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Holy See (Vatican), Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Monaco, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.
Western Pacific	Australia, Cambodia, China (incl. Hong Kong), Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Republic of Korea (South Korea), Singapore, Vietnam.
South-East Asia	Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Thailand.
Eastern Mediterranean	Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates.
Americas	Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, USA
Africa	Algeria, Cameroon

If you are in a country with local transmission:

Avoid contact with sick people and those with respiratory diseases.
Avoid visiting markets and places where live or dead animals are handled.
Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds OR use an alcohol-based disinfectant before eating, after using the toilet and after any contact with animals.
Avoid contact with animals, their excretions or droppings.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, especially before washing your hands.
Keep at a distance of at least one metre when talking to someone who may be sick.

If you have fever, cough, or shortness of breath on your return to Malta from any country with local transmission (including the high-risk countries):

– Phone the national COVID-19 Helpline on 111 (or +356 111 from abroad) for advice.

– Do not go to private clinics, emergency department, health centres or other healthcare facilities.

If you develop fever, cough, or shortness of breath during the 14 days since arrival in Malta from any country with local transmission (including the high-risk countries):

– Remain in your place of quarantine

– Phone the national COVID-19 Helpline on 111 (or +356 111 from abroad) for advice.

– Do not go to private clinics, emergency department, health centres or other healthcare facilities.

Advice for the General Public

How do I protect myself?

To protect yourself and others from infection practice good hand and respiratory hygiene:

Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and if not available, use alcohol-based hand disinfectant.
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or inner side of flexed elbow when coughing or sneezing.
DO NOT sneeze or cough into your hands as you may contaminate objects or people that you touch.
Dispose of used tissues immediately in bins; DO NOT leave tissues running around.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth before washing your hands.
Keep a one metre distance when talking to someone who is sick.

Should I wear face-masks?

In Malta, there is no need to wear face-masks. Wearing a mask in a preventive manner is not recommended by the World Health Organisation as a means to avoid contamination with the COVID-19 virus. Face-masks help people, who are already infected with the virus, from spreading it others.

Can I be contaminated by receiving a package from an affected area?

People receiving packages from affected areas are not at risk of contracting the novel coronavirus. From previous analysis, we know coronaviruses do not survive long on objects such as letters or packages.

Hotels and Accommodation
Transport Services
Airline Crew
Valletta Cruise Port/MIA/Malta Freeport
Cruise Liners

Handling of arrivals from destinations with known COVID-19 cases
It is recommended that guests arriving from or who have transited through affected areas – Northern part of Italy- Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto and Emilia Romagna, China (including Hong Kong), Singapore, Japan, Iran, South Korea, are asked to self-quarantine themselves for 14 days from arriving from the affected area.

Employees arriving from destinations with known COVID-19 cases
It is recommended that employees arriving from or who have transited through affected areas – Northern part of Italy- Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto and Emilia Romagna, China (including Hong Kong), Singapore, Japan Iran, South Korea, are asked to self-quarantine themselves for 14 days from arriving from the affected area. Further countries and regions as declared by the Superintendence of Public Health.

Social Gatherings
It is advisable to limit as much as possible social gatherings and activities involving a number of people in enclosed venues.

Guests reporting sick during their stay
Identify whether the guest has arrived directly or transited through an effected area in the past 14 days. The effected areas currently are: Northern part of Italy- Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto and Emilia Romagna, China (including Hong Kong), Singapore, Japan Iran and South Korea.

If this is not the case, the person should be referred to a GP or other doctor.

If it is confirmed that the guest came from an effected area, and is suffering from fever, cough or shortness of breath the following procedure applies:

The sick guest should not go to private clinics, emergency department, health centres, pharmacies or to other healthcare facilities.
The hotel should ask the sick guest to self-quarantine in his/her room. The public health authorities should be contacted on phone (+356) 21324086.
In such cases, Public Health authorities will assess the case and if need be visit the hotels themselves to swab the sick guest.
Results of swabs taken from the patient may take a number of hours. It is therefore imperative that in the meantime, the guest remains in the room, no one enters the room and no items are taken out of the room.
Sick guests are to be serviced (e.g. served meals) via room service. No member of the hotel staff should enter the room where the sick person is. Any item/meals requested by the guest should be left outside the room, and the guest can take the food/ items. No visitors are allowed in the room.
If through the tests carried out, it is determined that the patient is suffering from COVID-19, the Health Authorities would once again intervene to transfer the sick guest safely to a healthcare facility, where he/she would be kept in isolation and treated.
The accommodation establishments are to cooperate with the Health Authorities in their exercise to trace those persons with whom the sick guest was in contact.
The Health Authorities will then advise on the procedure to sanitize the guest room or premises.
If there are more than one guest in the same room, ideally a separate room is provided to the other guests.

It is recommended that if a passenger appears to be sick with a cough, he/she is referred to seek medical care by calling a doctor and not referred to private clinics, emergency department, health centres or to other healthcare facilities.
Drivers and other staff are to be advised on the importance of hand washing or use of alcohol wipes/rubs several times a day.
It is advisable that as far as possible vehicles used are naturally ventilated.
It is advisable that the vehicles, particularly handles, seats and other areas normally touched by passengers, are cleaned more frequently with the appropriate sanitising solution.

Crew Members arriving from flights from affected areas such as Milan, are to follow IATA guidelines for infectious diseases, apart from the overall general advise related to hand hygiene, etc.
Crew should, as far as possible, not leave the aircraft when visiting effected areas including airports.

Wherever some sort of scanning/checks is taking place at these points of arrival, Port Health doctors should only be asked to intervene when the person is presenting COVID-19 associated symptoms and is coming from one of the effected areas, currently Northern part of Italy- Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto and Emilia Romagna, China (including Hong Kong), Singapore, Japan Iran and South Korea.

In all other cases, the person should be referred to a GP or other doctor.

Cruise liners are advised to follow the same procedure as identified for collective accommodation establishments, for guests presenting symptoms onboard.

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