As of tomorrow, everyone who enters any shop in Malta will be obliged to wear a mask, even to purchase essential products like food, Superintendent of Public Health Prof. Charmaine Gauci has confirmed.

The new mask-wearing guidelines are being introduced in tandem with the easing of restrictions to allow non-essential retail stores to open. However, Prof. Gauci confirmed that the guidelines won’t apply only to non-essential stores but also to essential ones, such as supermarkets, pharmacies and confectionary stores, which have remained open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

People can make use of surgical masks or cotton masks, which can be sewed at home with at least three layers of cloth. While surgical masks must be disposed off after being used once, cloth masks can be reused after they’re washed in water at a temperature of 60°C.

As an alternative or addition to masks, people can make use of visors which can be purchased from pharmacies.

The health authorities are advising people to wash their hands properly before putting on masks, to make sure the mask is fitted on tight and that it covers your nose, mouth and lower jaw, and to take care not to touch your face while wearing it in case your fingers would have touched a contaminated surface.