Obligatory quarantine for anyone coming from abroad – Abela
Prime Minister Robert Abela said yesterday that anyone coming from abroad will have to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
Until yesterday, the mandatory quarantine was restricted to people coming to Malta from a few countries – Italy, China, Singapore, Spain, Japan, Iran, South Korea, Germany, France and Switzerland
– from where flights were suspended earlier this week.
Mandatory quarantine was yesterday extended to anyone coming from a foreign country, be they Maltese or foreigners, Abela said when addressing the press.
A €1,000 fine will be imposed on anyone breaking the rules. If the rule is breached every day, then the fine would climb to €14,000, Abela said. The government’s priority is to safeguard public health.
The measure is extended to foreigners who work in Malta and return from any other country. If they are caught not obeying the quarantine, their work permit will be revoked and they will be deported, Abela said.
As from yesterday, the public transport service was restricted to the number of passengers who can be seated. No standing passengers will be allowed, he said.
Abela remarked that travelling abroad for pleasure is not recommended at this stage. People can go, but they should know that once they return, they will be required to stay in quarantine for 14 days.
He said that discussions are taking place to limit the number of people within the confines of a supermarket at any given time. It is pointless to have restrictions on public events and then have people queuing up in big numbers, Abela noted. There is no need for people to stock up as food and other necessities will continue to be available, he added.
Abela said that schools have been closed for a reason, so as to reduce the risk of transmission. But it would undermine the purpose of closing schools if children are meeting at playgrounds for example, he said in reply to a question by The Malta Independent.
Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne spoke about the mandatory quarantine helpline 21411411 which those in quarantine can call in order to have supplies delivered to their homes.
He asked for people not to abuse this service as it should be used only by those who are under mandatory quarantine, and those who are or will be self-quarantining themselves.
The service is being provided thanks to three depots across Malta – one in the north, one in the centre and another in the south – where food is being collected and is then delivered to the quarantined individual within 24 hours.
Fearne also mentioned that there are measures being discussed to regulate the flow of people going to health centres.
He explained that they are developing a system of online medical consultations. This means that certain services will be provided online for those who need it without the need to go to health centres. These services will be announced during the coming week and the people who will have their appointments transferred online will be informed.
Members of the media asked if there is a dedicated transport system from the airport to residences for people returning from highrisk countries. The Prime Minister replied that, until now, such a service hasn’t been implemented and that everyone needs to book their own transportation.
Fearne reminded everyone that all passengers are being screened; those who have symptoms are then isolated immediately and if they are found positive, they are transferred into quarantine. He acknowledged that symptoms of the virus can take up to 14 days to emerge, so it could be the case that someone is a carrier but is not showing symptoms. However, he said that this is not a problem as you need to have symptoms in order for it to be transmitted.
Abela added that people using the Gozo ferry will also be screened and other measures are underway to further reduce the risk of spreading.
They were also asked why they have not stopped all flights from EU countries as medical experts have suggested.
The PM said that the medical advice they have received indicated that the steps the government has taken were sufficient and the low rates of patients is evidence of this. “Yet, if need be, we will implement further measures as we have been doing not only on a daily basis but also hourly basis.”
Fearne explained that there is a team of experts which are modelling what is happening abroad and in Malta. Addressing the much disputed issue of having a lock-down, Fearne said that “this situation could be a matter of months, not weeks, so they have to ensure that the measures that are being taken are not exaggerated, as they will be harder to maintain in the long run.”