Malta will therefore leave access to the country open to non-vaccinated people, but they will have to submit to mandatory quarantine. By announcing the closure of its borders to unvaccinated travelers – a first in Europe – the Mediterranean island hoped to stem an upsurge in new cases of Covid-19.
This decision had drawn criticism from the European Commission, which recalled that the health pass adopted by the EU – proving that a person is vaccinated, cured of the coronavirus or recently tested negative – was binding on member countries.
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In the Maltese population too, the subject is debated
This is explained by Éric Tenin, tourist accommodation provider in Malta: “On social networks, people were very unhappy with the increase in the number of cases. Everyone has their interests: those who work in tourism are more in favor of opening up the country, the others are more in favor of closing it.”
Statistically, I would tend to say that the Maltese wanted that. For the government, it’s always a trade-off between the two: on the one hand you have people who complain because anyone is allowed in, and on the other hand economic contingencies.
Éric Tenin, tourist accommodation provider in Malta
The tourism sector represents a quarter of the island’s income, especially in the summer.
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Good pupil of Europe
It must be said that the contamination curve has clearly oriented upwards: while at the end of June, no new cases were reported, Malta recorded at the beginning of July, in a single day, around a hundred contaminations, including a large number detected during language stays. English schools, which attract students from around the world every year, have since been closed overnight, forcing hundreds of young people into self-quarantine after the outbreak.
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On the Mediterranean island of 500,000 inhabitants, some experience this situation as an injustice because the country was until then the good student of Europe, details Éric Tenin:
Malta got through this crisis really well. We had very few deaths. We had a fairly fine management of the epidemic. Malta is also the world champion in the number of vaccinated, two days ago, we were 78% of the population. In theory, we should not worry about the number of cases here since the population is very protected.
Vaccination rates are lowest among young people. If wearing a mask is compulsory indoors and outdoors in Malta, it is no longer necessary when you go to the beach. Since June 1, no fine can be applied to people who do not wear a mask during their tanning session on the shores of the Mediterranean.
Write to him: [email protected]
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