The procedures explained in this document have been formulated for a number of tourism establishments and other tourism receiving operations to ensure rigid compliance in the fields of social distancing, enhanced hygienic practices and the minimisation of COVID-19 infection risks by establishments and operations re-opening for domestic and foreign tourism use following their closure earlier this year.

The procedures have been formulated bearing the advice made available by the International and Maltese Health Authorities as well as by drawing from best practice from other tourism receiving countries which is being constantly monitored and updated.

The objective of these procedures is to make these establishments assume self-responsibility and accountability for the introduction of additional measures aimed at addressing this extraordinary situation in a way which enshrines them in their routine, day to day management and operational practices. Enforcement of conditions falls within remit of Malta Tourism Authority and the Health Authorities.

The opening of different types of tourism establishments and attractions will not take place at once but in line with the chronological sequence outlined in the National Transition Strategy.

The introduction of sector-specific mandatory conditions and checklists which need to be completed and signed on a regular basis and the availability of record logs and certificates to complement these checklists will ensure that the highest standards are kept and that a record to assist inspections in checking that commitments which have been signed for by management are being respected and applied.

The available checklists are for:
• Accommodation Establishments (two separate sections for Collective Accommodation and Holiday Furnished Premises)
• Catering Establishments
• Outdoor Establishments including Lidos, Swimming Pools and Outside Entertainment Areas
• Beaches, Beach Establishments and Beach Concessions

The document also contains an appendix with Additional Notes and References for consultation and use by establishments to enable them to keep abreast of developments and guidelines as updated from time to time.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Re: PROTOCOLS

Q. When will these new measures come into force?
A. Friday, 22nd May 2020

Q. My restaurant has both indoor and outdoor areas. Where can I serve my patrons?
A. You can serve customers both indoors and outdoors.

Q. What is the maximum number of persons sitting at one table inside or outside?
A. Six. Indoor dining is also restricted, with the number of people inside the premises. This is limited to 1 person for every 4 sqm plus the distance from chair to chair according to the protocol. Outdoor – six can stay on the same table. Chair to chair protocol is different from that of indoor.

Q. Re distance between tables etc at outdoor/indoor facilities?
A. Indoor: the distance from the back of a chair to the back of another the chair behind it shall be 2 metres apart any other direction 3 metres. Outdoor: the distance from the back of a chair to the back of another the chair behind it shall be 1 metre apart any other direction 2 metres.

Q. What about smoking?
A. Smoking is prohibited both inside and outside. Any person that wants to smoke shall do so at least 10 metres apart from the nearest outdoor table.

Q. A COVID-19 compliant sticker? What is this all about?
A. The sticker is a proof that the establishment is compliant with COVID-19 protocols. Therefore the establishment has reached the highest levels of cleanliness and safety. If in the following audits the establishment is found to be non-compliant, the sticker will be removed. Customers are advised to use establishments which have the sticker on display.

Q. What is the definition of outdoor in this context?
A. Covers that are in the openair outside the premises, which are either covered but with no enclosed sides or any internal yard which does not have any form of roofing. Roofs and open balconies are also considered as outdoor.

Q. Can bars that do not serve food operate?
A. No, bars cannot open for drinks only. Snack bars are permitted to open for the time being.

Q. Can I consume drinks while sitting or standing at the bar?
A. No. Owner has to provide a waiter service and bring the drinks to your table. No one is allowed sit/stand at the bar.

Q. Will Clubs (Każini) re-open?
A. Yes. They can serve food, drinks and appetizers at the tables, following the same guidelines that apply for restaurants. If they have a courtyard or outdoor space, they are only to serve in these areas.

Q. Do I need a certification against Legionella?
A. If your premises has been closed for more than a month you are obliged to get certified against Legionella. Further info may be found: Control of Legionella Regulations LN 5 of 2006 http://www.justiceservices.gov.mt/DownloadDocument.aspx?app=lp&itemid=16567&l=1

Q. What is the temperature of a person to refuse entry in the premises.
A. The temperature of any person over 37.2 on the forehead should not be allowed to enter the premises.

Q. Can I operate an indoor pool?
A. No. Only outdoor pools can operate.

Q. In toilets shall we use air flow dryers or revolving cloth towels?
A. No, air flow dryers or revolving cloth towels should NOT be used. Only Disposable paper towels (ideally from an automated dispenser) should be used.

Q. How can I keep social distance in lifts?
A. Sign at elevator entrance saying that only people in same party should use elevator together

Q. Can buffet be served?
A. No, only table service can be provided.

Q. Can we use condiments/sauces?
A. Only disposable sauces, or single use servings/bowls. Ideally all cutlery are placed in disposable bags/sleeve.

Q. Can I smoke whilst dining outside?
A. Smoking is NOT permitted neither inside nor outside. Smoking may only take place outdoors at least 10 metres away from any seating area.

Q. Can an establishment open if it does not have the MTA Compliance Sticker?
A. It is recommended that the MTA sticker is displayed before opening.

Q. Can restaurants and snack bars open before inspection, even after Friday 22 May?
A. They need to be compliant with the protocols before opening.

Q. Do premises have to close at 2300hrs?
A. If referring to catering establishments, the last order has to be taken by 2300hrs.

Q. My premises was still operating as a takeaway during these past weeks. It will now open as an indoor restaurant with a small number of tables. Do I need to carry out water certification (for Legionella)?
A. No. This only applies to those premises that were closed and have not used their storage tank water for more than a month.

Q: Regarding Boċċi Clubs: Can patrons actually play the Boċċi game? Is this allowed?
A. Yes. The game of Boċċi is an outdoor activity. It can be played, as long as the number of persons playing is not more than 6.

Q. I have a restaurant/pool. Does the 2m distance apply to people sitting at the same table of a restaurant? In the case of families spending a day by the pool, does the 1-person-per-sunbed rule apply also for children?
A. The 2m distance does not apply for people sitting at the same table, but to adjacent tables. Only one person per sunbed applies also to children. Only babies can stay on the same sunbed.

Q. According to the guidelines. cutlery has to be served in a paper bag, sealed. Can we use stainless steel cutlery or does it have to be single use?
A. You can continue to use the same cutlery as before. The guidelines have recommended that cutlery be placed in plastic bags, paper wrapping or otherwise.

Q. Can a restaurant just cover the hand dryer, without removing it?
A. Yes, they can just cover it properly so that it cannot be used.

Q. At our restaurant we have always washed dishes by hand. Must we invest in a dishwasher?
A. No, as long as dishes are washed thoroughly in hot soapy water and dried using disposable paper towels.

Q. What about diving?
A. Scubadiving is allowed as long as there are no more than 6 persons in the group and that divers use their own equipment.

Q. Where can I get more information?
A. You can contact the MTA’s Helpline on 21692447 or email [email protected]

As of tomorrow, people can start staying in Malta’s hotels under the new Covid-19 relaxed measures.

Malta is starting to rebuild its tourism industry step by step starting with the reopening of certain establishments. While the airport remains closed and tourism numbers will take long to recover, locals can begin to enjoy the island’s hotels and the amenities it has to offer.

The most interesting and crucial points from the 73-page document can be found hereunder:

1. How will this affect the reception or lobby area?
Receptionists will have to wear either a facemask or a visor and will stand behind a perspex barrier. The lobby will also be equipped with alcohol dispensers and disinfectant wipes which will also be provided for your luggage as you enter.

2. How can the room be paid for?
The document indicates that contactless payment methods will be made available to avoid any unnecessary contact.

3. Can the spa or indoor pool be used?
No indoor spas or pools are to be operated.

4. What about outdoor pools?
You can make use of a hotel’s outdoor pool but you can’t crowd in common areas and you’re only allowed one person per sunbed. Changing rooms will also be disinfected every hour and limited to a maximum of four people at a time.

5. Will room service be available?
Yes, room service will still be provided but with disposable condiments and single-use items. Also, instead of signing, a room service bill will be brought straight to your room.

6. What about hotel restaurants?
The same protocols apply to hotel restaurants as they do other restaurants including the prohibition of buffets.

7. Will elevator use be restricted?
A distance of two meters has to be kept between you and others in an elevator. If that cannot be enforced then only one person can use an elevator at a time.

8. How will check out function?
Guests are required to drop off their room keys at a ‘Central Key Card Deposit Box’ made available in every hotel lobby. Keys will be collected and disinfected for reuse.

The Westin Dragonara Resort has undergone upgrades over the last few months and is proud to announce that as of end of June they will offer a total guestroom inventory of 412 Bedrooms and Suites, along with a newly refurbished Hotel Lobby and Quadro Restaurant.

They also have a brand new meeting room, Great Siege, which measures 61 square meters and seats up to 60 Delegates in Theatre Style.

We can’t wait to host our next group at The Westin!

After the first month of response, the World Health Organisation had already considered Malta as “a model country” in dealing with Coronavirus. Earlier this week Minister Health Chris Fearne announced that Malta ranked as the most trusted healthcare system in the whole European Union.

Closely following our small Mediterranean island are Denmark and Finland, with Poland, Bulgaria and Hungary ranking lowest.

France and Italy, two of the most robust healthcare systems in the world, placed just a little over the EU27 average when it came to trust. To this day, Italy has recorded the second largest number of deaths in the continent, following the United Kingdom.

The Malta Tourism Authority welcomes with satisfaction the announcement by the Foundation for Environmental Education in which eleven beaches in Malta and Gozo were awarded the coveted Blue Flag status for this year. For the beaches to qualify for this prestigious award, a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety-related and access-related criteria must be met and maintained.

The beaches that have obtained the eco-certificate this year are Buġibba Perched Beach, Fond Għadir (Sliema), Golden Sands Beach, Għajn Tuffieħa Bay, Mellieħa Beach, Qawra Point Beach, St George’s Bay (St Julian’s) and Westin Dragonara Beach Club St Julian’s (managed by Westin Dragonara Resort) in Malta, and Ħondoq ir-Rummien Bay, Marsalforn Bay and Ramla Bay in Gozo.

The most famous artist who worked in Malta has to be Caravaggio. His ‘Beheading of St. John the Baptist’, a work once described as ‘the painting of the 17th century’ was commissioned for, and is still on display in, the Oratory of the Co-Cathedral of St. John, Valletta. Another of his most famous works, St. Jerome, is also in the cathedral. Together, these works represent a key period in the development of this unorthodox artist. His style, with its powerful use of shadow and shafts of light (chiaroscuro), created an almost choreographed drama with the subject; a technique which broke with the tradition of religious painting. Caravaggio arrived in Malta in 1607 in rather dubious circumstances having fled Rome to avoid justice. He was wanted for murder. However, in Malta, under his new patrons, he was feted and admitted to the Order of St. John. But his freedom from justice lasted only just over a year. He was imprisoned in Fort St. Angelo and later escaped to Sicily, only to die two years later at the age of 38 still hounded by the forces of justice.

The Cavallieri Art Hotel lit up over forty rooms as a sign of gratitude to all frontliners during these trying times.

“This too shall pass, brighter days await us, and we will stand up again,” the hotel’s general manager Mark Camilleri said.

HOPE is what we all live for – an optimistic state of mind for the future. We look forward to buzzing with energy, health and super events in the very near future.. till then #KEEPSAFE!

With a global pandemic going on, a collaboration between Heritage Malta and tech giant Google is now giving internet users the unique opportunity to virtually visit several of the agency’s national museums and sites through the online platform Google Arts & Culture.

This collaboration brings Malta’s cultural sites at par with other major international institutions, including the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the Van Gogh Museum in Netherlands, the National Gallery of Arts in Washington, Museo Frida Kahlo in Mexico, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and many more. Virtual tours will immerse the viewer into the solemn grounds of the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, walk you along the unique artifacts exhibited at the National Museums of Archaeology in Malta and Gozo, impress you with the exquisite colorful mosaic floors at the Domvs Romana, or accompany you through the turbulent times of World War II, at the National War Museum in Fort St. Elmo.

Heritage Malta invites the public to open these virtual doors to amazing discoveries, and to strive to visit them personally once the pandemic is over.

And if you’re a lover of opera, you’re in for another treat. Maltese Tenor Joseph Calleja will be taking viewers request to sing arias on his Facebook page, since there has been a stop to all travel.

And, once people globally aren’t quarantined anymore, there are great reasons to visit Malta.

Typically, Easter celebrations in Malta last a long few days and have a strong religious significance also know as Holy Week.

The celebrations begin the Friday preceding Good Friday when a statue of Our Lady of Sorrows is carried in a procession through the streets of Valletta, the capital, as well as many other small towns and villages. This is the kick off of the Easter celebrations and is a wonderful experience.

Towards the end of Holy Week, the celebrations really kick up a gear on Maundy Thursday. This is when the Last Supper is commemorated and worshippers pay visits to seven ‘Altars of Repose’, all in different churches. ‘Altars of Repose’ are altars where the Communion hosts, which are consecrated during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Maundy Thursday are placed, in preparation for Good Friday, and so form a crucial part of the Easter celebrations. The altars are beautifully decorated and offer a real visual treat, as well as the opportunity to reflect on the holiday and celebrations. Then comes Good Friday, a rather sombre affair, seen as a day of penance and is observed through veneration of the cross and processions in different locations, during which scenes from the Passion and Death of Christ are carried out. Although this may seem a gloomy day, it is a crucial part of the whole Easter experience in Malta.

Easter Sunday is a day of huge celebration, thus day starts with the ringing of the bells in churches to celebrate the resurrection. At mid-morning, a statue of the Risen Christ is processioned through the streets and carried triumphantly into the church. This is a day for celebration, fun and another crucial aspect… followed up by many traditions. It is a tradition to present children with chocolate coated Easter Eggs as part of the celebration, along the typical figolla, which is an almond filled pastry in the shape of a rabbit, lamb, heart or fish. Both of these are treats following the fantastic family feast which takes place after 40 days of potential fasting and no sweets.

The Easter feast is the pinnacle of the celebrations and is an occasion for the whole family to get together. Delicacies include kwarezimal, also known as ‘Lenten’ cookies, which are sweet, traditional cakes or biscuits, more common during the period of Lent, but also widely celebrated and enjoyed as an Easter sweet.

Due to the covid-19 restrictions, churches have been shut and no processions or religious ceremonies are being held during Holy Week this year.

• Valletta – The Capital City, a city built by the Order of the Knights of St John and HOME TO St Johns co Cathedral and the Caravaggio Museum
• Birgu – well known for its vital role in the Great Siege of Malta of 1565
• Mnajdra and Hagar Qim Megalithic Sites (Qrendi) – World Heritage Sites that date back to the Ggantija Phase (3600-3200 BC)
• The Hypogeum – the only underground burial prehistoric site in Malta, its over 600 years old and a Unesco Heritage Site
• The Church of the Assumption of Our Lady (Mosta) – the 3rd largest dome in Europe, and the 9th largest on the world, survived a German Luftwaffe bomb in 1942
• Mdina – one of Europe’s finest examples of an ancient walled city and extraordinary in its mix of medieval and baroque architecture
• St Paul’s Catacombs Rabat – this site represents the earliest and largest archaeological evidence of Christianity in Malta
• St Paul’s Church and Grotto, Rabat – one of the earliest places of Christian worship on the island and St. Paul’s gift of healing and him remaining unharmed after a snakebite made the locals regard him as a God
• The Roman Domus – a museum that contains what remains of an ancient Roman townhouse built during the Roman reign in Malta
• Dingli Cliffs – highest in Malta at around 825 feet (250 m) with splendid views of the open ocean and of the Maltese islet of Filfla
• Ta’ Qali artisanal village – the hub where Maltese artisans showcase and sell their master works to locals and tourists alike
• Hand made blown Malta glass –  glass items to suit all, one of Malta’s top artisanals
• Maltese Wine- Grapes grown on the island are blessed with a favorable Mediterranean climate all year round, yielding wines that are ripe with character and flavour.
• Marsaxlokk – small, traditional fishing village in the South Eastern Region of Malta. It has a harbour, and is a tourist attraction known for its views, fishermen and history
• Sanctuary of Our Lady in Mellieha – located at the edge of a hill, in the heart of Mellieha. Built in the late 19th century, this church is popular both for pilgrimages and for the magnificent views it offers over Mellieha bay, Gozo and Comino.
• WW11 Shelter – The shelter was a fully functioning mini city with a maternity ward and infirmary during World War 2
• Blue Grotto – a number of sea caves in the southern part of the island, famous for the extraordinary sea reflections and remarkable shades of blue
• Gozo –  famed for its character and places of interest. Some of these include the Calypso Cave and the Ġgantija Neolithic temples which are among the oldest surviving man-made structures
• Comino – known for the famous Blue Lagoon bay with its crystal clear and azure-coloured water
• Rabbit – Traditional Maltese stewed rabbit, better known as ‘Stuffat tal-Fenek’, is considered Malta’s national dish