The health authorities have carried out more than 128,000 inspections related to COVID-19 measures and issued 726 citations since March.

More than half – a total of 82,294 inspections – were carried out on people under mandatory quarantine, and 266 were fined. 

Malta first introduced a two-week mandatory quarantine in March, and it applied to travellers flying in from particular countries including Italy and China the month before.

When the pandemic reached Malta, people started being placed into mandatory quarantine if they had the virus or were in direct contact with an infected patient. The fines were eventually increased from €1,000 to between €3,000 and €10,000 if those under quarantine were caught leaving their front doors.

By the height of summer, 1,200 people were under mandatory quarantine.  

In August, the wearing of masks became mandatory in all closed public spaces in Malta, with the exception of restaurants. By October, the wearing of masks became mandatory outdoors.

On Wednesday, Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci said that since a legal notice about the mandatory wearing of masks was published in August, there have been 1,407 inspections by health officials. Of these, 168 people were fined. 

A further 138 people were fined following 21,434 inspections for breaking some other mitigation measure that the authorities put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Police officers carry out separate inspections, and that data is not included in the figures provided by the health authorities.