Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci skirted the question of whether mandatory testing would be enforced at the airport now that rapid COVID tests, which give results in minutes, have landed in Malta.

She was responding to questions by the press during her weekly COVID news briefing. 

When asked whether testing would be made mandatory now that the new tests have arrived in Malta, Prof Gauci stressed that with respect to those passengers arriving from ‘amber’ countries, there is an obligation at law for such people to present a nasal-swab COVID test taken no more than 72 hours before the flight.

Should passengers from amber countries fail to present a test, random testing at the airport will take place. So far, six COVID-positive passengers have been identified thanks to the random testing system.

She stressed that the authorities have also added further equipment at the airport in a bid to increase swabbing efforts at the airport.

Prof Gauci also did not commit to the introduction of new measures, saying that the authorities are following developments very carefully, and that measures introduced are proportionate to current risks.

This week, the authorities tightened the number of people who may gather in public from 15 to 10.

The Superintendent said that the authorities highlight where the various COVID clusters are forming during its daily pandemic update in order to inform the public of where the greater risks lay.

She appealed to the public to follow the measures currently in place, and for the COVID Alert Malta contact tracing app to be downloaded by all those with a smart phone.

On Friday, 44 new cases were registered with 63 recoveries. Officially, the death toll stands at 37 however the Superintendent said that a further death has been identified, while the authorities are gathering all the relevant information.

The number of active cases stands at 434.