Malta's COVID-19 infection rate is now the second-lowest in Europe, after dropping significantly from ranking among the highest in early March. 

The details emerged from fresh weekly data issued by the  European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). 

The country's 14-day cases per 100,000 inhabitants rate stands at 52.28 with only Portugal registering a lower rate with 49.55 cases per 100,000 people. 

Malta's numbers have improved significantly in recent weeks, with the number of new cases registered daily not exceeding 15 for the past week. 

Infections started to plummet in mid-April after the government was forced to impose a quasi-lockdown, when the number of new cases reached record highs in early March. 

Just before the closures, ordered on March 10, Malta's 14-day infection rate stood at 828.47, one of the highest in Europe at the time. 

A month ago, on April 13, Malta registered a rate of 145.17.

And as the number of infections dropped, so did the deaths, with Malta now going days without suffering COVID-19 fatalities. 

The 14-day death rate is currently 7.77, the sixth-lowest in the EU.

In the wake of the low infection rates, Malta is also continuing to ease COVID-19 restrictions, with restaurants allowed to reopen for lunch from last Monday.

The government plans to ease more restrictions in the coming weeks, with bars to reopen on June 7 after being shuttered since October.