MALTA REQUIRES PROOF OF VACCINATION FOR VISITORS

 Associated Press 10 July 2021

© Provided by Associated Press People attend the Cruilla music festival in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, July 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu)

VALLETTA, Malta — Malta is now requiring proof of vaccination for visitors to the Mediterranean island nation in hopes of stemming the latest rise in coronavirus infections.

Starting Wednesday, visitors to Malta must present a COVID-19 vaccination certificate that is recognized by Maltese health authorities, meaning certificates issued by Malta, the European Union or the United Kingdom.

The EU’s green passport certifies people who are vaccinated, receive a negative PCR test result or have recovered from COVID-19. But Malta has decided to only recognize those who are fully vaccinated.

“Malta will be the first EU country taking this step,” said Health Minister Chris Fearne.

Children aged 5-12 only need to present a negative PCR test, while those under age 5 are exempt from any obligation.

© Provided by Associated Press FILE - In this May 15, 2020, file photo, gravediggers in protective suits carry the coffin of a COVID-19 victim as relatives and friends stand at a distance in the section of a cemetery reserved for coronavirus victims in Kolpino, outside St. Petersburg, Russia. The head of Russia's state coronavirus task force says the number of deaths nationwide in June this year rose nearly 14 percent over June 2020. That's due to the spread of the delta variant of the virus that caused infections to soar and a record spike in deaths. Russia has suffered a surge of infections since early June, with daily new cases rising from about 9,000 in the beginning of the summer to over 23,000 in early July. For the first time in the pandemic, the daily death toll has exceeded 700, with 726 new deaths registered Friday. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, File)

Malta, which has a population of just over half a million, had 46 active cases on July 1 but the number rose to 252 on Friday.

© Provided by Associated Press People are registered by a transit agent at a checkpoint on the second day of a four-day lockdown, decreed by local authorities to help curb the spread of COVID-19 in the Kaqchikel Indigenous town of San Martin Jilotepeque, Guatemala, Friday, July 9, 2021. On Thursday, Guatemala announced its highest number of infections since the pandemic began, with 3,000 infected in a single day. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

The government says 90% of new cases are among unvaccinated people. Currently 79% of Maltese adults are fully vaccinated.