As revealed by Tourism Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli, Malta is set to open up flights to 19 countries, but, when pressed, the minister held back from specifying which countries would be included.

She spoke on TVM’s Insights, a current affairs programme, on Sunday.

“These are countries that are safe to open travel with, we will not consider countries with a high rate of transmission,” she said.

Asked if tourists would have to quarantine for two weeks on arrival in Malta, Ms Farrugia Portelli said “might as well keep the airport shut if we do that. I know I would prefer to stay home than spend two weeks in quarantine while travelling for a holiday”.

Asked about protocols for the airport, the minister said there are clear European aviation protocols which Malta, like other European countries, must follow.

She spoke of virtual check-ins, ensuring distance inside the airport, restrictions on the number of bags passengers will be allowed to country, introducing systems that limit excessive queuing at gates, the use of masks onboard flights, aircraft sanitisation regimes, menus with fewer items and preventing any queues at the airport.