Malta, once nearly virus-free, sees COVID-19 resurgence

VALLETTA, Malta (AP) — During the first four months of Europe’s coronavirus outbreak, the Mediterranean island nation of Malta recorded just 673 infections. By mid-July, it had all but eliminated COVID-19 with only three active cases.

Yet in the last six weeks, Malta’s confirmed caseload has more than doubled. Malta is now considered an at-risk destination by some European countries, which have imposed travel warnings or testing requirements on anyone who goes there.

It’s quite a reversal of fortunes for Malta, which on Friday registered its first death since May.

Earlier this week, the government closed nightclubs again, limited gatherings to 15 people and mandated mask-wearing in public places indoors with a 100-euro ($117) fine for offenders, all in a bid to radically change course.

“All these measures are based on the principle of social distancing. We felt that they had to be strengthened in several areas,” Malta’s public health chief, Charmaine Gauci, said in announcing the new rules.

While Malta’s numbers are still small — the country only has 500,000 people — and pale in comparison to bigger European countries that were hard hit in the spring, its infection curve is following that of Greece and Cyprus. Those southern Mediterranean countries also managed to limit infections early on with lockdowns, but are seeing surges now in part due to summer travel.

In all, Malta recorded 673 cases between March 7-July 7, but in the last six weeks the number of registered infections more than doubled to 1,546. In all, 10 people have died.

The infections exclude more than 100 migrants who tested positive after being rescued by the Maltese army and were placed in quarantine. Another 118 migrants rescued by Malta on Thursday and quarantined will be tested...