[WATCH] Coronavirus: Mandatory quarantine introduced against €1,000 fine

New measures:

• Ban on all air and sea travel to and from France, Germany, Switzerland and Spain as well as Italy
• Mandatory quarantine for anyone who came to Malta from France, Germany, Switzerland and Spain today
• Mandatory quarantine for anyone who came to Malta from Italy in past 14 days
• Imposition of €1,000 fines for every instance of quarantine breach
• Elderly people should stay home unless necessary
• Travelling abroad should be halted if not urgent

The Prime Minister has announced that all air and sea travel to and from France, Germany, Switzerland and Spain will be stopped from midnight tonight.

Anyone who returned from any of the four countries today will also have to observe a mandatory 14-day quarantine, which will be enforced by fines, Robert Abela said this afternoon.

The travel restrictions are an extension of the ban already in place on travel to and from Italy. Anyone who returned from Italy in the past 14 days must also observe an obligatory 14-day quarantine period.

The new measures are being taken in light of the transmission rate in France, Germany, Switzerland and Spain, which has in the past hours increased exponentially, he said.

Police will be carrying out regular spot-checks to ensure the mandatory quarantine is being observed, and €1,000 fines will be handed out for each day when a breach is found.

Maltese people returning from abroad are to stay at home during the quarantine period, while any tourists who have come to Malta from the five countries must spend their quarantine in their hotel room.

The quarantine will also have to be observed by all people, such as family members, residing under the same roof.

The government will be offering a service to people in quarantine to deliver to them food and other necessities.

Maltese residents in France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and Italy will be repatriated to Malta.

Commercial transport of medicines, foods and merchandise between Malta and the mentioned countries will continue, the Prime Minister said.

Abela also appealed to the elderly to not leave home if they didn’t need to and urged people to avoid travelling abroad unless necessary.

Asked whether schools and universities might be closed in the future, Abela said this was not being excluded. “If we have such a directive from the public health authorities, we will do so immediately,” he said.

‘The most uncomfortable time of our lives’

Abela said that the current situation might be “the most uncomfortable period in our lives”. The measures, he said, were necessary to preserve human life.

The Prime Minister underlined that no breaches of the mandatory quarantine will be tolerated, and that should people not observe it, stricter measures will be taken to ensure public health is safeguarded.

“If the people cooperate and shoulder their responsibility, we will be able to emerge from these circumstances quicker,” he said.

Health Minister Chris Fearne also said that while all six known local coronavirus cases were imported to Malta, if a case of sustained transmission in the community is detected, more drastic measures will be announced.

The measures add to those the Prime Minister announced on Tuesday, which restricted mass events in light of the spread of Covid-19.

READ ALSO | Coronavirus: Who to contact if you notice a quarantine breach

Mass outdoor events with more than 2,000 people were banned, and indoor events could only be held with a maximum of 750 attendees, Abela said yesterday.

To date, six people have tested positive for the virus in Malta. All have been reported to be in a good condition.

The sixth case, reported this morning, involves a Maltese doctor who was on holiday in north Italy and returned to Malta on 8 March.

People who are currently in Germany, Switzerland, Spain and France and want to return back to Malta have been asked to call the government helpline on +356 2204 2200.