President George Vella and his wife will be self-isolating for a week after a staff member of the San Anton Palace tested positive for COVID-19 during a routine swab test.

In a statement, the Office of the President said both Vella and his wife Miriam had tested negative for the virus but had decided to self-isolate for a week as a precautionary measure.

All the President’s engagements that had been scheduled for the coming week have been postponed.

The President’s statement didn’t specify whether he had any prolonged contact with the COVID-19 patient. In these circumstances, the health authorities tend to force close contacts to go into quarantine for two weeks, rather than one.