VALLETTA, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) - Fully vaccinated Maltese residents returning from "dark red" zones can now quarantine at home rather than in a mandatory quarantine hotel, Health Minister Chris Fearne announced on Wednesday.
The new relaxed measure, which comes into effect on Friday morning, is conditional on a valid vaccination certificate, he explained. Other members of the same household must also not exceed four.
Fearne said Malta will update its "red" and "dark red" lists in the coming days. The country is now focused on efforts to stop the new "Mu" variant, originally found in Colombia, from entering Malta, rather than concentrating on the Delta variant which has spread globally.
Fearne also announced that Malta will start accepting the Canadian vaccine certificate from Friday, meaning vaccinated travelers arriving from Canada will no longer have to quarantine.
Entertainment venues may choose only to admit vaccinated people if they wish, the health minister said, but measures inside venues will be more relaxed.
"We can't allow the fear of the pandemic to paralyze us," Fearne said. "It's going to be with us in the long term, so we must learn to live with it." Enditem
