From Monday, June 6, children under the age of 12 will no longer be required to submit a negative COVID-19 test – it was previously considered a required travel document.

Malta’s official travel news website, Visit Malta, made the announcement, indicating that the coastal country is gradually reopening to pre-pandemic levels, reports SchengenVisaInfo.com.

Last week, the Maltese authorities removed the categorization of countries, which determined entry rules for travelers based on the epidemiological situation of their country. Instead, entry into Malta is only granted to those who can present a valid certificate of vaccination or negative test.

“Test taken no later than 72 hours prior to arrival / Negative Rapid Test taken no later than 24 hours prior to arrival – still required for travel to Malta, with children six years of age or younger exempted from submitting any of the above. documents, “ the authorities had pointed out earlier.

Failure to present any of these documents will result in a quarantine of ten days waiting for the traveler, reduced to seven days, until a negative test result is given on this day. In addition, the requirement to submit a Passenger Form (PLF) has also been removed.

Malta has recorded a total of 93,682 cases of COVID-19 infection since the beginning of the pandemic, with 641 of those reported in the last seven days. According to data from the World Health Organization, 714 deaths have been recorded in Malta since March 2020 – one of those being recorded this week.

The majority of the Maltese population is vaccinated against the virus, as 86 per cent have received the primary course of vaccination. In addition, 67.2 percent of the population received a booster shot, while 87.2 percent received only one shot of the Coronavirus vaccine. The average use of the primary course in Malta is higher than the average of the EU / EEA countries, which is 72.6 percent.

However, the requirement to wear surface coatings while traveling to Malta remains, although the European authorities have recommended that they be removed.

“As of next week, face masks will not have to be mandatory in air travel in all cases, in general in line with the changing requirements of national authorities across Europe. for public transport, “ Patrick Ky, Executive Director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), spoke about the mask requirement.

More specifically, travelers from Austria, Portugal, Cyprus, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Malta, Estonia, Luxembourg, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Italy, Latvia, and Spain, regardless of their vaccination status, should wear a mask while flying to these destinations.

Malta’s neighboring countries, such as Italy, are still maintaining the rules of entry into force, although many restrictions have been lifted. As noted by the Italian Minister of Health, all travelers to Italy must present a valid certificate of test, vacation and recovery in order to enter the country.