As Malta gears up to reopen its ports again in July, passengers have been trying to figure out what going through the airport will be like in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak that resulted in worldwide flight bans.

With less than two weeks until Malta’s flight ban is lifted on July 1, Times of Malta spoke to Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci to understand what going through airport will be like in the so-called ‘new normal’ era.

Feverish patients must await COVID-19 results

Apart from social distancing and use of masks, another measure set to become the norm in airports is thermal screening, with special equipment installed to monitor passengers’ body temperature.

Installed at Malta’s airport in March, back when the country had registered the first coronavirus cases, the equipment will ensure all those going through the departures and arrivals lounges are screened.

If a passenger is found to have a fever of 37.2°C or over, airport personnel will move the individual to a specialised clinic where a swab test will be carried out.

According to Gauci, passengers will not be allowed to board planes while they await the results, a process that usually takes a few hours, and must also remain in isolation until then.

While residents might choose to go back home and wait for the results in isolation there, given that they would have likely missed their flight already, tourists will be asked to remain at the airport clinic.

“We will obviously evaluate every case individually, but we need to make sure that people are in isolation even while awaiting test results,” Gauci said.

This process is similar to when a person is tested for the virus at one of the testing centres around the island. Pending the results, a person must remain home and away from other people.

Those returning to Malta will be subject to similar procedures and anyone found to have  fever will be taken to the clinic and tested.

As with those flying out of Malta, residents will be allowed to self-isolate at home while they wait for their results though tourists’ situations will be assessed individually.

“It’s one thing if a tourist is going to a hotel where there are more people and another if the person has booked a self-catering apartment, for instance.

“We will carry out individual risk assessments depending on the passenger’s situation,” Gauci noted.

What if a passenger tests positive for the virus?

For locals, the procedure will be the same as when contracting the virus in Malta – meaning the health authorities will carry out contact tracing, order mandatory quarantine and follow up the case until the patient is no longer infected.

The situation is less straightforward for tourists.

Those who test positive upon arrival must remain in mandatory quarantine for 14 days and will only be allowed to leave the island after test results come back negative, Gauci said.

Each case will be reviewed by the health authorities who will then decide whether the tourists can spend the quarantine at accommodation booked for the holiday or in hospital.

“If we identify a risk that the person might not obey quarantine rules or if the person is unable to find accommodation for the required period, we have beds available in our hospitals and they will be taken there,” Gauci said.

Similarly, those who test positive before leaving the island will also not be allowed to leave and must remain in Malta until they are no longer positive.

“We cannot have a person we know is positive boarding planes,” Gauci stressed.

In every instance, contact tracing will be carried out to establish any potential contacts the infected person might have had prior to being tested.

If a patient develops symptoms a few days after having been on a flight, the health authorities will get in touch with all those who were up to two rows from the infected person.

This procedure had already been implemented in March, before the flight ban was introduced.

Passenger locator forms must be filled in properly

Gauci also emphasised the importance of filling out passenger locator forms properly especially since these would be used to carry out contact tracing.

Passengers must also declare they have been in the country they are travelling from for four weeks prior to travelling. This, Gauci said, would mean layovers before arriving in Malta would not be possible.

While Gauci said the authorities were still working on finalising how the form will be filled together with the procedures, she warned that it will be a legal document and declarations cannot be made frivolously.

“It’s true, we are relying on people being honest about their history but keep in mind this is a legal document covered by the Public Health Act and so one will be held responsible if caught making false declarations.”