COVID: Mandatory for everyone over three to wear masks irrespective of vaccination status

Every person over the age of three irrespective of vaccination status, is from Saturday 11 December obliged to wear a mask or visor outside or else face a €100 fine.

As announced on Thursday by Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne, the amendments to the mask wearing legal notice were published on Friday.

The changes remove the exemptions that were introduced in August that allowed vaccinated individuals not to wear a mask in public if they are in a group of two and allowed children under 12 not to wear a mask if accompanied by a vaccinated adult. The regulation that allowed the removal of masks on the beach has also been removed.

The rules in other aspects have remained the same as they were.

The mask rules do not apply to private homes and private vehicles and apart from children under three years of age, persons with severe cognitive, physical, mental or respiratory impairments are exempted, as long as they carry the relevant medical certificate at all times.

If the offence is admitted and fine paid before proceedings commence, the penalty will be reduced to €50.

The temporary removal of the mask is permissible in the following situations:

• in the case of children attending kindergarten, while in the classroom
• during high intensity physical activity
• when speaking or providing assistance to any individual who relies on lip reading to communicate
• during official public speaking, provided that a two-metre distance is kept
• if requested to for identification purposes
• to receive any medical or cosmetic treatment or service involving the face or mouth
• to take medication
• when seated at establishments where food and drinks are served
• when necessary during the consumption of food or drink
• when smoking lit tobacco products

Covid-19 cases have been on the rise in previous weeks, as fears of the Omicron variant loom over Europe. Hospitalisations have increased but remain relatively low. Malta retains one of the highest vaccination rates in the world and almost 150,000 booster shots have been administered so far.