Malta on Netherlands COVID-19 orange list advising against non-essential travel

The Dutch government has advised everyone returning from Malta to self-quarantine for 14 days following a spike in COVID-19 cases.

Malta was previously listed on the Netherland’s yellow list which was labelled as “safe” however, the island has now been put the country’s orange list which advised against non-essential travel.

The Netherlands joins the Italian region of Puglia, which on Tuesday said it now requires travellers from Malta to self-quarantine for 14 days after tourists tested positive upon returning from Malta. 

On Tuesday, Greece and Slovenia also put restrictions on travellers from Malta due to the spike in cases; they follow Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia which have all advised against non-essential travel and encouraged self-isolation.

On Wednesday the Medical Association of Malta said it was extending its directives to Friday giving the government a one-week ultimatum to deal effectively with the epidemic.

The doctors’ union said the situation in Malta had deteriorated significantly leading to a sudden and sharp increased in numbers.

On Tuesday 29 cases of COVID-19 were registered, bringing the number of active cases to 440.