Malta has eased one of the last remaining pandemic travel rules by ending a restriction that required people without a vaccine or recovery certificate to present a negative COVID-19 test before entry.

The measure will be eased from July 25 after direction from the EU, the health ministry said in a statement.

Malta's entry rules had been among the strictest in the bloc, at one point requiring proof of complete vaccination before travellers were allowed in to the country.

At the beginning of this year, it also set a three-month expiry limit on Malta's vaccine certificate - a move which provoked the ire of several airports, who complained it breached EU rules. 

This was later eased to allow those without a vaccine certificate to show a recovery test or negative test for the virus. The negative PCR test result had to be obtained no more than 72  hours before arrival or a negative rapid antigen test obtained no more than 24 hours before arrival. 

However, Monday's announcement means that anyone who doesn't have a vaccine certificate or recovery test no longer has to produce evidence that they don't have the virus. 

Effectively it means that there are no longer any travel rules stopping unvaccinated people from entering Malta without having to quarantine.

The health ministry made the announcement hours after Health Minister Chris Fearne announced that those aged over 60 would be offered a second COVID-19 jab.

Previously it had only been offered to the over 65s. 

According to World Health Organization (WHO) data, Covid cases have been rising sharply since the end of May around most of Europe.

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