The wearing of masks will no longer be mandatory in hospital wards as from May 1, Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela said on Thursday.

Abela told Times of Malta the decision was a result of very few COVID-19 cases. 

“Of course, those who want to wear masks are free to do so,” he added.  

Abela said the legal notice obliging the wearing of face coverings in wards and care homes will be repealed on May 1. 

The new rules apply to hospital staff as well as relatives visiting patients, Abela said.  

The rules on mask-wearing at hospitals were relaxed last July as face coverings no longer remained obligatory in non-clinical areas of the hospital such as at the reception, canteen and conference halls.  

The wearing of masks in public places was introduced in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus four years ago.

However, last year, the rule was all but dropped in most public areas, barring some exceptions, including hospitals and care homes.   

A requirement to remain isolated if you have COVID-19 will also be scrapped, the minister said.  

“COVID-19 is now being relegated to the level of other respiratory illnesses,” he said.

“Still, we recommend that people stay home when they are sick,” he said.