Prime Minister to announce new COVID-19 restrictions at noon

UPDATE

Prime Minister Robert Abela announced restaurants will have an 11pm curfew for the month of February, while bars and clubs will remain shut for the same period. Follow the latest restrictions here.

EARLIER

Prime Minister Robert Abela is to address a press conference at noon on Wednesday (today), and is expected to announce new restrictions related to COVID-19, as reported by the national broadcaster, TVM.

On Tuesday, Dr Abela confirmed that unannounced measures aimed at stemming transmission rates would be announced imminently, and will apply throughout February, with the aim to relax measures again in March.

He said that measures would target carnival weekend, from 12-14th February, in particular.

Malta has consistently registered triple-digit daily new COVID-19 cases since 3rd January, with the most recent spike mainly attributed to social gatherings over the festive period as well as the drop in temperature due to the winter season. A more transmissible COVID variant first discovered in the UK has also been a cause for concern.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Robert Abela confirmed that Malta's bars and restaurants would remain shut beyond 1st February.

The move is intended to contain the spread of COVID-19, with triple-digit daily increases remaining consistent following the Christmas holiday period.

Bars and clubs were ordered shut at the end of October when Malta’s second wave of infections had spiked. Initially, they were set to reopen on 1st December, but the authorities then extended closure for another two months, until end January.