Source::Xinhuanet
VALLETTA,
Malta's bars and entertainment venues will remain closed for another month as one of the safeguards against the spread of COVID-19, Health Minister Chris Fearne announced on Wednesday.
Bars, originally shut down last October, were meant to reopen on Dec. 1, but the ban was extended to Jan. 31 and then again throughout February as the country continues its battle against the virus. Fearne told a news conference that although the vaccination was proceeding as planned, the authorities were still cautious, insisting that people should continue to follow social distancing guidelines.
He said the curfew imposed on restaurants in January to close their doors at 11 p.m. was extended to midnight. Fearne also revealed that the AstraZeneca vaccine, which had originally been restricted to those under the age of 55, would now also be administered to those aged between 55 and 65, after advice from a scientific committee. He also said that those aged between 75 and 80 will start receiving their vaccine appointments and will be inoculated from March 8.
He said there were no cases of hospital admissions among those who had already received their second dose so there will also be a relaxation of measures in homes for the elderly. The new measures were announced as Malta on Wednesday reported 226 new cases of COVID-19. The present number of active cases stands at 2,504. The virus has so far claimed the lives of 308 people. A total of 68,779 people have so far been inoculated against the virus.
On the rising cases, Fearne said people were relaxing their respect for social distancing measures. Several clusters linked to family or social gatherings were being discovered. Gathering of more than six people was still banned.
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