[WATCH] Coronavirus: Non-essential travel between Malta and Gozo stopped

All travel between Malta and Gozo, except for specific reasons, has been restricted in a bid to prevent Covid-19 from spreading further.

Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri said on Tuesday that all travel between the two islands would be prohibited unless for specific purposes.

Officials will be asking passengers travelling between the islands the reason for their visit before allowing them to board the ferry.

Travel between Malta and Gozo will only be allowed for: work or medical reasons; family visiting other family members, including to see hospitalised relatives; the carrying of merchandise; and for people returning to their place of ordinary residence.

Any other kind of travel, including for leisure or holiday purposes, will not be allowed, Camilleri said. All passengers boarding the Gozo Channel at Ċirkewwa, Malta or Mġarr, Gozo will be questioned as to their purpose for travel.

The measures come after the government announced on Monday that people gathering in groups of more than three people would be liable to a €100 fine.

Although travel between Malta and Gozo had already been discouraged in the past weeks, Camilleri said that some people were still choosing to disregard the guidelines. The new rules were necessary to counter this issue, he said.

Earlier today, former Gozo minister Justyne Caruana called on people to avoid all unnecessary travel between the two islands. “[Such travel] shows a lack of respect towards others and is a great injustice to residents and workers who have continue to offer vital [connectivity] services,” she said.