Updated 3.45pm with statement by the Feltom federation of language schools - The health authorities can now give language schools permission to reopen if the exemption from the closure rules is "deemed necessary or essential" by the Superintendent of Public Health. 

The update came in a new legal notice published on Monday, outlining changes to rules that came into force on July 14. 

According to a list of standards issued separetly by the health authorities, the schools can only open for those students who were already in Malta by July 26 and who are in pocession of a valid vaccine certificate. 

"Hence, for the purposes of clarity, face to face teaching is only allowed for vaccinated students already on the island as per above definitions and certification procedures.

"No new bookings,arrivals, intakes can be processed by any school at this stage, irrespective of whether the potential incoming arrivals are vaccinated or not. The schools closure notice is still in forceand an exemption is solely being granted for vaccinated students already in Malta," the authorities said in their guidelines. 

The government had ordered the closure of language schools after hundreds of unvaccinated teenagers in Malta to study English tested positive for COVID-19. Since then, a portion of them, including those infected with the virus, have been repatriated. 

The closure had not gone down well the schools, which had said the decision to force them to shut their doors was “unwarranted” and “disproportionate”. They had also said it was taken without consultation with stakeholders. 

No new bookings,arrivals, intakes can be processed by any school at this stage, irrespective of whether the potential incoming arrivals are vaccinated or not.- Health authorities

Details on the new measures are scant, with the legal notice simply stating: "Provided that the Superintendent of Public Health may, through the issuance of standards, provide for exemptions from the provisions of this order wherever such exemptions are deemed necessary or essential."

The Federation of English Language Teaching Organisations Malta (FELTOM) later said the re-opening of the schools should be solely and exclusively for fully-vaccinated adult students who have every right to visit Malta as any other fully-vaccinated tourist. "Denying them this right is, in itself, discriminatory and will further damage the sector financially and reputationally."

"The change in the Legal Notice is the first step towards the industry to return to normality and is welcomed as long as the schools are able to welcome all vaccinated students to reduce the damages caused after the sudden closure of our sector," Feltom said.

Meanwhile, sources in the sector confirmed that while lessons were being held online, groups of students were still being taken on excursions around the island later in the afternoon when class is over. 

Groups of students, the sources said, were being still regularly taken out to tourism hotspots like Mdina and Valletta. 

Questions to the health ministry on whether schools are allowed to organise tours around the island have remained unanswered despite reminders. 

Students in Malta to study English have been making headlines recently after around a quarter of  COVID-19 active cases last week were traced back to young people attending language schools.

Amid criticism of the decision to allow unvaccinated students to travel to Malta, Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo has said it was “in the country’s interest” to push the industry – an important part of the tourism economy – back onto its feet with the help of incentives.

The legal notice published on Monday can be accessed here

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