A popular pharmacy in Balzan has been fumigated after one of its staff members tested positive for COVID-19.

Balzan pharmacy was closed on Thursday after one of the store's employees fell ill and was tested for the novel coronavirus. The employee resulted positive and is now in care. 

The Chamber of Pharmacists told Times of Malta that "immediate steps were taken by the management to close the pharmacy for 24 hours after the obligatory fumigation and decontamination of work surfaces". 

All employees at the pharmacy who were in close contact with her are now in quarantine and the pharmacy has been professionally fumigated to ensure any trace of the virus is removed.

Balzan mayor Ian Spiteri shared a message he said he had received from the owner of the pharmacy in which she confirmed that a staff member was among Malta's COVID-19 patients. 

“The pharmacy was closed on Thursday and Friday in order to conduct professional fumigation. This fumigation targets the COVID-19 virus,” the owner said in the message, adding that the pharmacy had already introduced social distancing measures and better hygiene standards. The pharmacy will reopen to clients on Saturday morning. 

The pharmacy is not the only establishment to have been affected by the virus spread. On Friday night, Bank of Valletta said it had temporarily shut down its Ibraġ branch as a precautionary measure, after one of its employees there felt unwell. 

Malta has identified 64 confirmed cases of COVID-19 so far. Two patients are considered to have recovered, with all the other cases bar one progressing well. 

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