Non-residents should be barred from entering Malta from UK, PN says

Only residents of Malta must be allowed to enter from the UK, the Nationalist Party said, in the wake of a new COVID-19 virus variant.

The PN COVID action team said the government is obliged to exercise maximum caution not to undo the sacrifices of the past months by front liners and the community.

On Monday, the Health Ministry said that from tomorrow, all people arriving to Malta from the UK were obliged to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine.

However, across Europe, countries are taking more restrictive measures by blocking all arrivals from the UK after health authorities there reported a new, more infectious strain of coronavirus.

The PN said the government must act immediately and only allow residents of Malta to enter from the UK. "They must be subjected to a mandatory test at the airport and then quarantined."

"Considering that there are four daily flights from the United Kingdom it is illogical and irresponsible to allow non-residents to enter the country at this time, even if they are obligated to go in a 14-day quarantine. This opens the island to enormous risk, and will create greater pressure on Malta's health care system as well as public health officials who will have to enforce the quarantine rules," PN said. 

READ MORE: Malta introduces 14-day mandatory quarantine for passengers from the UK