Malta no longer a high-risk area for the Netherlands
Miguela Xuereb
Malta is no longer a coronavirus high-risk area for the Netherlands as from Saturday, after the country revised its travel advice.
Dutch citizens visiting Malta will not be required to quarantine for 15 days.
The Netherlands became the second country in less than 24 hours to revise its travel advice to its residents following the Danish authorities.
In October, Malta was added to the country’s list of countries and regions which requires passengers arriving to the country to undergo self-quarantine for ten days.
The number of people being treated for the virus plummeted to 33, Superintendent of Public Health Professor Charmaine Gauci announced during her weekly briefly.
Malta has become the first country to be placed on Denmark s yellow list for travel category, with the Danish authorities advising against non-essential travel to all other countries.
Effectively, this means that Danish tourists can visit Malta, with no quarantine or isolation requirement upon their return.
This follows similar travel advice by Germany some days ago when the country removed Malta from its COVID-19 risk list.
Germany’s move had come on the same day as the UK s surprise announcement that Malta has been left off its green list of travel destinations, despite low numbers of infections.
In a statement welcoming Denmark’s decision, Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo said the government’s strategy of a strong vaccination rollout complimented with restrictive measures aimed at being eased in a gradual manner was “the main ingredients behind this sterling news”.
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The local authorities will ensure Malta is included in the UK’s next green list of COVID-safe countries for travel, due in a few weeks, the Tourism Ministry told
Times of Malta.
The UK’s decision on Friday to omit Malta from the list of COVID-safe countries for travel from England has perplexed many.
Commercial travel for UK citizens will resume on May 17. Contrary to what the British media had predicted, Malta was left out of the UK’s first list of countries that English tourists can freely travel to without having to quarantine on their return.
The ‘green list’ will be reviewed every three weeks, meaning Malta could still be included before the end of May.
Students travelling to Malta to learn English this summer will be handed up to €300 in vouchers to spend anywhere on the island as part of efforts to boost the English Language Tuition (ELT) sector.
Addressing a press conference, Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo said the government will be budgeting €1 million to help schools get back on their feet after pandemic-related closures in recent months.
Every student coming to Malta to learn English will be handed a a €10 voucher for every day spent on the island. To be eligible, students must spend a minimum of 15 nights in Malta, while the maximum amount they can receive will be capped at 30 nights, or €300.