Belgium and the Netherlands have become the latest addition to a growing list of countries placing restrictions on travel to Malta.

So far nine countries and regions in Europe have tightened travel advice to the island because of an increase in COVID-19 infections.

On Wednesday, the Dutch Foreign Affairs Ministry updated its travel advice from yellow to orange, meaning only necessary trips should be made. It advised nationals to go into home quarantine for 14 days if they have visited Malta.

Belgium also placed Malta on its 'orange' list, similarly recommending quarantine and a test on return from the island. 

Malta has seen a steep increase in figures in the past two weeks, with numbers in double digits being recorded daily. The number of active cases on Tuesday was 440.

However, it is also the country with one of the highest rates of testing in the world.  

The Netherlands follows the Italian region of Puglia,which on Tuesday required travellers from Malta to self-quarantine for 14 days, after a group of tourists tested positive for coronavirus following a trip to the island. Another Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, has also also issued restrictions. 

On Tuesday, Greece and Slovenia became the latest countries to put restrictions on travellers from Malta because of the surge of coronavirus cases on the island. 

The island has already been taken off the safe lists of Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia – all of which advise against non-essential travel and enforce self-isolation for visitors.