[WATCH] Too early to say whether bars will reopen in December, Health Minister says

Health Minister Chris Fearne was non-committal on whether bars will reopen in December after they were forced to close for a month as part of restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Fearne was fielding questions from journalists during a press conference at Mater Dei Hospital on Wednesday morning.

He said that the measures put in place to counter the spread of COVID-19 were working because the cases in Malta remained constant, while those abroad continued to increase.

Fearne said that the legal notice that mandated the closure of bars applied until the beginning of December, by which time, a decision would be made, as to whether it should be extended or not.

"There are still a few weeks to go, it's too early to say what will happen," Fearne said.

At the end of October, new measures were introduced including the complete closure of bars between 29 October and 1 December, the mandatory wearing of face masks in all public places and workplaces, and the lowering of group gatherings in public to six people.