[WATCH] Eight new COVID-19 cases registered overnight

Eight new cases of COVID-19 have been registered overnight, with 1,041 swab tests having been adminstered in the past day.

This brings the total number of local cases up to 378, with 44 patients having fully recovered, and three having died.

The positive cases included two young men from the Ħal Far open centre, and another involved a 61-year-old man who had returned to Malta on a repatriation flight from the UK, Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci said.

Gauci confirmed Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne's announcement earlier today that 28 more people had recovered from the coronavirus, bringing the total number of persons who have overcome the disease and are now testing negative for it to 44. Some of the 28 are still in quarantine and waiting for the health authorities to allow them to rejoin the community, she said.

Three people have thus far died from the virus.

In total, 17,057 people have been tested for the virus in Malta.

Gauci reiterated Prime Minister Robert Abela's appeal earlier on Easter Sunday for people to refrain from leaving their homes.

"This is not the time to go out - it's important to stay indoors. We have community spread, so don't go out and don't invite people over, so that contact with others is limited," she said, as she stressed that it was important to protect the vulnerable. "Attend to the needs of the vulnerable, but don't go near them."

Malta exploring possibility of contact tracing apps

Asked by MaltaToday about the contact tracing apps being developed in a number of European countries, including the UK and Italy, Gauci said that Malta was exploring the benefit of such technological tools and had been in contact with the EU and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in this regard.

Until now, she noted, Malta had been carrying out contact tracing through questioning infected people about their history. She, said, however, that the country would be following the EU's recommendations in terms of utilising such apps.

Regarding the last humanitarian rescue vessel which was allowed into Malta before the government closed the country's ports to migrant ships, Gauci said all persons aboard had tested negative for COVID-19.