Plenty of people were keeping their masks on in the blistering heat on Thursday, despite being allowed to remove them outdoors for the first time in nine months.

For many, it was a matter of safety. 

The rule on mask-wearing outdoors has been relaxed for people who are fully vaccinated. They can go maskless when alone or in pairs, while masks remain mandatory for everyone in larger numbers, in public indoor spaces and for those who have not yet been inoculated.

Yet, many of those walking along the busy streets in Valletta and Sliema said they felt safer and more comfortable with their face covering, even though they had been fully vaccinated.

“The Delta variant spreads quickly and there has been a rise in cases in Europe,” Mariella Borg, 66, said.

“It’s better to be safe even if you have both vaccinations,” she reflected.

She was speaking to Times of Malta in the wake of the news that a second case of the highly infectious Delta variant had been detected locally while, throughout Europe, COVID-19 infections are again on the rise because of the variant.

In fact, 21-year-old Povilas Juskevicius from Lithuania said she was completely against the decision to allow fully inoculated people to remove their masks.

“I feel safer wearing my mask and I think everybody should still wear them until everyone is fully vaccinated. It’s pretty hard when it’s so hot but you get used to it,” he said.

Safety apart, for 61-year-old Charles Vella Zarb, wearing the mask had become a matter of habit.

He carries his vaccination certificate around with him everywhere but his face covering, he said, was staying put.

“I’m used to it now. I think it’s safer and, honestly, I think I’d feel strange without it,” the Tarxien resident said.

One the other hand, others expressed relief at being able to do away with their mask during the heatwave, saying they felt “free”.

“It’s nice, especially with this heat. Having the mask on when it’s this hot definitely makes it harder to breathe,” Tyler Porter, 23, from New York, said.

Jason Gatt, 49, did not feel at risk with mouth and nose uncovered. “It feels great. I feel safe and it’s more comfortable. In this heat while walking it’s very difficult to keep the mask on.”

The authorities have cautioned that maskless people will be stopped in the streets to have their vaccine certificates and ID cards checked. Those caught in breach of the rules could be fined.