Covid Malta, 179 new infections: highest number since 21 March

Infections continue to increase in Malta, where 179 people have tested positive for Covid in the last 24 hours. This is the highest number since March 21, according to the Malta Times. With two people healed, 634 people are currently positive in the island state which, with one of the highest vaccination rates in the EU, in the last week recorded a resumption of infections especially among children arriving from all over Europe, including Italy, for summer language courses. Meanwhile, the health authorities have confirmed that the Minister of Health, Chris Fearne, went into isolation after coming into contact with a person who tested positive for Covid. Last Friday, Fearne announced new, stricter measures for entry to Malta that from Wednesday will only be possible for people who have completed the vaccination course for two weeks. The temporary closure of language schools has also been decided. The European Commission has contacted the government of Malta to “ask for explanations” on the measures announced by the Mediterranean country, which will ban the entry of all travelers not fully vaccinated against Covid. This was explained by the spokesman of the European Commission Christian Wigand, during the briefing with the press in Brussels. It is true, said the spokesman, that “increasing cases” of positivity to Sars-CoV-2 are observed in some member countries, and it is equally true that member states can, if necessary, adopt additional restrictions on the freedom of movement, but these measures “must be proportionate”. And, Wigand stressed, “the vaccination certificate cannot be a prerequisite for exercising freedom of movement”, since “we are concerned” that such a measure will “discriminate against those who are not vaccinated”, he concluded. the first time an EU country adopts travel restrictions unilaterally, without prior consultation. At the end of June, Germany had closed its borders to people coming from Portugal, an area considered at risk for the former Indian variant, or Delta, unless they were German citizens. After a week, the measure was transformed from a travel ban to a test and quarantine requirement. Malta, which has very high vaccination rates (79.1% of the population is fully vaccinated), has seen an increasing number of infections in recent weeks, mostly imported. The Mediterranean archipelago is the smallest state in the EU.