Plans to remove plastic shields during visits at homes for the elderly appear to have been temporarily shelved, with the government refusing to give a date for them to be taken down. 

In February, Health Minister Chris Fearne had announced there would be some relaxation of measures in elderly facilities after some 90 per cent of the residents received both COVID-19 vaccines doses. 

But as the country continues to deal with a spike in new virus cases, with records registered in recent days that prompted the closure of restaurants and snackbars, it seems the shields will be in place a while longer.

Malta currently has one of the highest infection rates in the world, with health authorities blaming the highly-infectious UK variant for the increasing numbers.

There are currently over 3,000 people positive for COVID-19, the highest rate since the pandemic hit last year. 

Asked for an update, Elderly Minister Michael Farrugia told Times of Malta that his team had presented “all the protocols” to the health department. The public health teams, however, had yet to confirm when these new protocols will come into force, he said. 

The measures will start being eased “the day after” the go-ahead is given, he said.

For just under a year, relatives and residents have been separated by plastic shields as part of efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. Some care homes banned visitors altogether, with relatives and the elderly forced to communicate solely via video calls.