Malta is still on the UK's safe travel list, the government has confirmed, amid reports the island could be booted off the so-called green list.

An analysis by the UK's The Telegraph, picked up by local media, suggested people travelling to Malta could be asked to self-isolate for 14 days upon their return. 

Late on Thursday the UK said that travellers returning to UK from Belgium, the Bahamas and Andorra will have to quarantine as from Saturday.

The number of cases in Malta have continued to spike in recent days, with 40 new cases detected over a two-day period.

But a Tourism Ministry spokesperson confirmed on Thursday afternoon Malta is still on the UK's safe list.

"So far we remain on the UK safe list which is very positive. We will continue to monitor the situation, both locally and at the other end to ensure timely and effective action," she said. 

Acknowledging that the government is "constantly monitoring a continuously evolving situation", the spokesperson said Malta is making "good use of its diplomatic channels to ensure that Malta’s image and position are safeguarded and that any statistics are interpreted in the right way and not out of context". 

The UK is Malta's strongest tourism market, with hundreds of thousands of tourists coming to the island every year in recent years.

Over the past two weeks, Malta's increase in new COVID-19 cases has been so dramatic that it now is in the top 10 European countries for the number of new coronavirus cases for every 100,000 people. 

Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have all put restrictions on travellers arriving from Malta, with the island no longer considered a "safe corridor" meaning non-essential travel to the island is no longer advisable and anyone who visits must self-isolate.

The rate places sixth out of 31 countries, according to data issued by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on Thursday.