Malta placed on highest-risk category for travel by CDC

On Tuesday, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) placed Malta, Sweden and Moldova on its "Level 4: Covid-19 Very High category", advising against travel.

Malta is experiencing a surge in COVID cases on the back of waning vaccine immunity, the arrival of the Omicron variant that is more transmissible and increased holiday social interaction.

On Tuesday Malta registered 1,300 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily increase since the start of the pandemic.

The CDC places a destination at Level 4 when more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents are registered in the previous 28 days.

Other European countries on the list include France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. In all, almost 90 destinations were rated Level 4 as of 28 December.

New local restrictions came into force on Monday, with all establishments having to shut their doors at 1am. 

Organised standing events cannot be held, and spectators are barred from all sporting events. 

Meanwhile, all adults over 18 can register to take their vaccine booster dose. Authorities have been urging people to get their booster dose and not to delay taking it, while parents are being encouraged to vaccinate their children.