Reopening of non-essential retail outlets Author: Christina Scicluna Published on May 5, 2020 The government has announced, through the publication of a number of legal notices the lifting of certain COVID-19 restrictions, which restrictions shall be lifted effective Monday 4th May 2020. The main restriction which was lifted relates to the reopening of non-essential retail shops, these shops are now able to reopen with effect from Monday 4th May. The lifting of this measure however also imposes mitigation factors in the form of use of appropriate face masks upon entry by the public in retail outlets. Face masks are to be worn at all times by any individual entering such shops, shop owners are to ensure that a limited number of individuals are allowed into their outlets at a time, and the use of hand sanitizers is to be made available by shop owners to limit transmission of the virus within a particular environment. The use of masks has also been made obligatory when using public transport. Vaping shops, whether operating in shopping malls and/or elsewhere, together with outlets providing non-essential services shall however remain closed. The restrictive measures regarding social distancing are still to be adhered to, however, an additional easing measure has increased the number of persons allowed in public spaces from three (3) to four (4). These lifting measures have been introduced as a result of Malta’s effective mitigating measures in containing the spread of the virus. Go back