WATCH: Malta to start accepting COVID recovery certificates as of 1st October

Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne on Tuesday announced that Malta will be accepting COVID recovery vaccine certificates as of 1st October.

Some countries have been treating the contracting of COVID-19 as being on par with receiving one dose of the vaccine, and have proceeded to issue vaccine certificates once an individual has had COVID and received one dose of the two-dose vaccines such as Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca.

Malta has up till now rejected such certificates, only accepting vaccine certificates from countries in a pre-defined (and constantly updated) list, where both doses have been administered of EU-approved vaccines.

As of 1st October, Minister Fearne announced, vaccine recovery certificates being issued in EU countries will be accepted as a valid vaccine certificate for travel, preventing incoming visitors from having to quarantine in a designated hotel.

He explained that the change in decision stemmed from the fact that EU countries have by and large reached the threshold of having 70 per cent of people fully vaccinated.

Minister Fearne also revealed that vaccine certificates from Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Rwanda will be accepted as of tomorrow. It is understood that since such countries are outside of the EU, recovery certificates will not suffice, and the vaccines administered must be recognised by Malta, meaning Pfizer, AstraZeneca or the single-dose Johnson and Johnson. Vaccine certificates are considered to be valid when 14 days have passed since the individual received their last dose.

The three countries will be added to the list of jurisdictions where Malta is accepting vaccine certificates: EU, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Serbia, Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey, Qatar, Albania, Australia, Egypt, Lebanon, Kuwait, Singapore, Canada and the United States of America record card