Shops and service providers that wish to ask their customers to keep their face coverings on once the masks mandate is lifted on Monday are free to do so, according to public health chief Charmaine Gauci.
In her Times of Malta Facebook live show Ask Charmaine, the Superintendent of Public Health said that it is up to the shop owners or the service providers to decide what precautions they want to take.
"The most important thing, I believe, is that they put up notices stating what the requirements are for those entering the establishment.
"This is the same situation where we have some schools that for now have opted to ask children to continue wearing the masks, so it is up to them to decide," she said.
Gauci also likened the situation to that of allowing pets in restaurants, saying that these would put up signs to inform people of the rules before they enter the establishment.
"If you don't want to enter a restaurant where pets are allowed, then obviously you are free to choose other restaurants," she said.
Masks will no longer be mandatory indoors from Monday, with the only exception being hospitals, planes and care homes.
School bubbles to stay for now
On bubbles in schools aimed at preventing the unnecessary mixing of children, Gauci said these will remain until the end of the scholastic year. She did note, however, that the rules were likely to change for summer school.
Gauci also said the dark red travel list is being reviewed and there could be changes in the future but did not provide any information as to which countries might be removed from the list.
On hospitalisation because of COVID-19, Gauci said the majority of those in hospital with the virus continued to be admitted for other reasons. On Wednesday, she said, there were 82 patients at Mater Dei who were infected, two of them in the Intensive Treatment Unit.
Gauci also noted that hospital numbers indicate that the majority of patients suffering from severe symptoms continue to be those who have not been vaccinated against the virus.
The public health chief assured that testing for the virus by public health authorities will remain free.