Vaccine passes removed for entry to many places from February 7

Vaccination certificates will not be needed for entry into restaurants, snackbars and social clubs from February 7, Health Minister Chris Fearne announced in parliament on Tuesday.

From February 14, certificates will not be needed for entry to bars, gyms, spas, pools, cinemas and theatres.

They will continue for the time being to be needed for entry for mass events, sports events, gaming halls, night clubs and travel.

The vaccine certificates were first introduced on January 17 but have proved highly controversial with catering establishments.

Fearne said the measures were being reduced because 75% of people had now got the booster dose, COVID cases were going down, and the situation in hospitals was well under control.

Reduced quarantine

With COVID-19 cases going down, Fearne said Malta would soon be reaching a point when mandatory quarantine for primary contacts can be reduced from seven to five days, and even be eliminated completely. 

For now, the quarantine periods will remain 10 days for positive cases and seven days for primary contacts. 

He said it is still to early to announce when quarantine measures could be eased, but it could be as early as mid-February depending on...