Malta has announced a series of entry requirements for Brits who want to visit, as the country has now officially been added to the UK's green list.
The beautiful island has said it will welcome UK holidaymakers, but only those who are fully vaccinated against Covid - and this applies to anyone who is aged 12 or over.
Of course with the majority of children in the UK not having yet received their Covid vaccine, this isn't ideal for those planning family holidays.
Children who are aged 5-11 won't need to be jabbed, providing they are travelling with a vaccinated parent/legal guardian, and have a negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours of arriving in Malta. Children under the age of 5 will not be required to undergo a test.
As for adults, you'll of course need to show proof that you have received your full Covid vaccination.
However, Malta won't accept the NHS app as proof of a vaccine. Only the paper version of the NHS Covid Pass letter will be accepted, and visitors will need to have a printed version - a digital copy or downloaded PDF form will not be allowed.
(You can find out more about how to obtain a Covid pass letter on the NHS website here).
So to recap that means:
- Anyone aged 12 or over needs to be fully vaccinated against Covid and have a paper version of their NHS Covid Pass letter as proof.
- Children aged 5-11 will need a negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours, and can only visit if accompanied by a fully vaccinated parent/legal guardian.
- Children aged 5 or less are exempt from tests and can accompany vaccinated parents/legal guardians.
You can also get more information on entry requirements from visitmalta.com.
Malta joins the line-up of latest additions to the UK's green list, alongside the likes of the Balearic Islands and a number of Caribbean hotspots. Although the green list is expanding, there are still only a limited number of holiday options for Brits due to some countries on the list not yet opening to tourists, or requiring quarantine.
In recent weeks a number of countries have been tightening up their rules for Brits, amidst concerns over the Delta variant of coronavirus.
For example, Portugal has introduced new rules meaning unvaccinated Brits will need to quarantine for 14 days if they want to visit, while Spain now requires Brits who aren't fully jabbed to show a negative PCR test result in order to be allowed to enter the country.
Meanwhile France now says Brits need an essential reason to visit the country, and Italy has introduced a five-day self-isolation requirement for UK travellers.
That doesn't mean that those who aren't double jabbed won't be able to go on holiday. Some countries are still welcoming unvaccinated Brits for holidays - there will just likely be testing requirements in order to visit.
What do you think of Malta's new rules - would they put you off a holiday? Let us know in the comments below.
