Updated 1.20pm

Malta has registered no new COVID-19 cases for the first time in 11 months, Health Minister Chris Fearne revealed early on Monday.

“Today is the first day with zero cases since last summer,” Fearne wrote on Twitter. “It is essential that we maintain discipline and responsibility.”

The news was welcomed by WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge, who echoed Fearne's calls. 

"Summer is the time to take some time off and enjoy the outdoors - without jeopardizing hard-earned gains," Kluge wrote. 

Those figures revealed that two further virus patients had recovered overnight while no deaths were recorded in the previous 24 hours. As a result, the number of active virus cases declined to 72. 

A total of 1,355 swab tests were carried out on Sunday. 

Healthcare workers administered a relatively low 2,320 vaccine doses that day, the data indicated. A total of 55,3814 doses have been administered so far, with just over 235,000 people being fully vaccinated. 

The encouraging news of Malta having no new COVID-19 cases comes as Malta marks the Sette Giugno public holiday and eases further virus restrictions. Bars, cinemas and theatres reopen on Monday following several months of closure, with contact sports for over-17s also allowed to resume.

Malta last registered 0 new daily virus cases on July 25 of last year. That would prove to be a point of false hope for the country, as cases rapidly rose in the ensuing weeks on the back of clusters of cases related to parties and feasts.

That spike in infections eventually forced authorities to introduce a raft of new, more stringent restrictions in an attempt to halt the virus' spread.