Malta Airport Urges Authorities to Reconsider Decision to Make Vaccine Certificates Against COVID-19 Valid for 3 Months Only
Malta International Airport has called on the country’s health authorities to reconsider the new rules that will be applied to vaccination certificates from next week, adding that they have put a strain on them. unnecessarily on the citizens of Malta.
According to airport authorities, such new rules make the travel process even more complicated for Maltese residents, stressing that as a result, they would put the airport at a “significant disadvantage” for other countries in the European Union. , reports SchengenVisaInfo.com.
Authorities in Malta have announced that they plan to set an expiry date for his vaccination certificate from 17 January, which will make it valid only for three months from the second dose instead of the nine-month period. which was recommended by the European Commission.
The rule introduced by the European Union authorities has already sparked controversy among authorities in European countries.
All people who have had a booster dose will have nine months until the expiry of their vaccine document.
“As Malta is the only Member State to have shortened the period of validity of COVID-19 vaccination certificates, the Superintendent of Public Health has imposed an unnecessary obstacle for Maltese residents to travel, together it has not weakened consumer confidence for the tourism industry during this already. a very challenging winter period, ” said a statement from the airport.
Authorities in Malta have recently been urged to clarify their updated travel policy for vaccine certificate holders as the European Commission has addressed changes that do not align with recently adopted EU rules.
“We urge the health authorities to stop the introduction of further unnecessary and reckless travel restrictions, which run counter to the spirit of the European Union in order to facilitate free movement in all European Member States, “ the statement reads.
The authorities in Malta have also announced that its residents returning to Malta will be subject to an additional two-week grace period, which is due to end on 1 February, on the validity of the vaccine document. .
After this date, residents of Malta who do not obtain a valid vaccine document will be encouraged to go through 14 mandatory days of self-isolation upon arrival, according to the ministry of health.
However, more details in this regard will be announced later this week.
According to figures published by the World Health Organization (WHO), a total of 60,383 people tested positive for the virus, while a total of 488 people died during the same period.
The same shows that 6,136 cases of COVID-19 infection have been reported in the last seven days, while nine people have died.
Such figures and the spread of the Omicron variant of Coronavirus have led the Maltese authorities to strengthen their entry and travel rules to prevent a further increase in the number of COVID-19 infections.