[WATCH] Coronavirus: 7 new cases, include pregnant woman and migrant at Hal Far Open Centre

A 36-year-old pregnant woman was found to be positive for coronavirus during routine testing carried out in hospital, Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci said.

The Italian woman is one of seven new cases identified overnight, bringing the total of Covid-19 infections to 202.

Gauci said both mother and baby were doing fine.

One of the new cases also involves a 33-year-old Nigerian man, who resides at the Hal Far Open Centre. The man was confined at the centre because of an unrelated injury he sustained but tested positive after symptoms of coronavirus emerged.

Gauci said a risk assessment of the open centre, including the people he may have come in contact with, has led to six other migrants who slept in the same quarters as the man to be quarantined. She said talks were also underway with staff members but gave no detail as to what other measures are being taken to reduce the risk of spread in the crammed open centre.

Four of the new cases resulted in people who came from abroad, while the other three were local transmission.

Gauci reiterated her appeal for people to remain inside and to those in quarantine, to obey the restrictions. Asked wether any contact tracing of people who breached the quarantine rules was being carried out, she said that this would be necessary if the individual had symptoms.

Some people are in preventive quarantine and not necessarly positive to the virus. But she insisted that these should obey the quarantine rules.

With restrictions on travel to Gozo coming into force today, Gauci said security personnel asking passengers the reason for their travel do not have any additional risk. She said that if these people handled documents, the normal hand sanitisation procedures applied.

Asked about the use of face masks by the general public, given that some countries are revising their position and urging people to use masks in public, Gauci said Malta was following World Health Organisation recommendations. "So far, WHO recommends that masks are used by healthcare workers and people who are sick. But we are following what is happening and analysing the effectiveness of certain measures taken abroad," Gauci said.

Quick facts

• New cases on 3 April: 7
• Total cases so far: 202
• Healed cases: 2
• ITU cases: 1
• Swabbing tests overnight: 749
• Swabbing tests so far: 9,043