Malta is at risk of losing its travel corridor with the UK after a rise in coronavirus cases saw fresh lockdown measures introduced.
The island nation saw its 14-day cumulative number of new cases rise above 50 per 100,000, a figure that last week saw Belgium removed from the Foreign Office’s ‘safe list’.
Malta has seen a sharp uptick in infections in recent days, prompting authorities to enforce the mandatory wearing of face masks in public and ban large gatherings. The country has recorded just over 1,000 cases and nine deaths.
Malta relies on tourism for a third of its GDP; one hotel manager told Telegraph Travel last week that any new restrictions would be “devastating”.
The UK Government is expected to make further amends to its list of travel corridors this week, with a number of countries in the firing line for quarantine restrictions. On the other hand, Portugal is hoping to be added to the ‘safe’ list for the first time.
Follow the latest news below.
New Zealand eyes new ‘travel bubble’
New Zealand, which is celebrating 100 days with community transmission of the coronavirus, is to open a “travel bubble” with the tiny Pacific realm of Cook Islands.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the plans on Monday, but added caution over the potential for similar arrangements with Australia.
AFP has the details:
Ardern said the quarantine-free travel corridor was possible because New Zealand and the Cooks – an archipelago of under 10,000 people – had successfully contained the coronavirus.
“Our expectation is that it would be in place before the end of the year,” she told reporters, adding that officials were being careful not to move too quickly on the proposal.
“The last thing anyone wants is to reopen travel, only to have it closed down again because it hasn’t been done properly.”
New Zealand has recorded only 22 coronavirus deaths in a population of five million, and marked 100 days since its last case of community transmission on Sunday, while the Cooks declared itself virus-free in mid-April.
Credit:
getty
Portugal awaits news on FCO ‘safe’ list
Good morning, here are some of the key developments this morning.
- Spain cracks down on nightclubs
- Paris tightens face mask laws amid second wave
- Portugal awaits news on FCO ‘safe’ list
- Greece overtakes Spain in popularity for British holidaymakers
- UK police have issued only 33 fines for travellers not wearing face masks
