[WATCH] Coronavirus: Five new cases brings total to 139, local transmission picking up

The number of local transmissions of coronavirus are on the increase, although only five cases were recorded overnight, Charmaine Gauci said.

The Public Health Superintendent said four of the five new cases were local transmission.

Malta has, so far, registered a total of 139 cases and no deaths. A man who was in intensive care has improved and is now out of the ITU. However, Gauci said that a 60-year-old person was admitted to intensive care overnight. This person is stable.

The update comes a day after Health Minister Chris Fearne put into place new measures that would force elderly people over 65 and people below that age who fall in health-related vulnerable groups to stay at home as part of a partial lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

On Friday, Gauci said that relatives who live with people under lockdown will be allowed to go to work, and shop for food and medicines, but this should be limited only to those cases where it is absolutely impossible to stay indoors.

"If persons who live with vulnerable people can work from home or move out it would be better. If they can't do otherwise they may go to work and in this case they will not benefit from quarantine leave measures," Gauci said, calling on employers to cooperate.

Carers who do home visits will be allowed to continue with their visits but it is advisable for them to limit the contact time with their patients.

Asked about the gap between when some persons have developed symptoms and these actually being identified by the health authorities, Gauci said there have been instances when people did not come forward because the symptoms were light and mistook them for something else. "But there have also been cases of people who simply did not approach us and out appeal is for anybody who develops symptoms to get in touch so that we will be able to test," she said.

READ MORE:  Coronavirus: Fearne announces lockdown for over-65s and vulnerable groups, including pregnant women