Health authorities are planning to reopen restaurants come mid-May, however, bars and band clubs will remain shut until another still-to-be-announced timeline of more easing of measures.

According to sources close to Malta’s plan to exit the quasi-lockdown (which the country has been in for over a month), authorities are planning a staggered approach which could see the opening of restaurants in mid-May, Times of Malta revealed. This will be followed by an assessment to examine the impacts of such a relaxation of measures.

In a previous press conference, the government gave a target date, 1^st June, for tourism to kick start as well as allowing weddings to take place with the appropriate protocols in place. If tourism does reopen once again in June and bars are also back in business, it would be the first time they welcomed patrons since pulling down their shutters last October. According to Times of Malta sources, weddings won’t be allowed to take place unless restaurants are also operating.

Exact dates regarding the reopening of restaurants, in particular, are still under wraps with restaurant owners speaking out about being left in the dark on the matter. Just yesterday, Crust Head Chef Sean Gravina shared a post highlighting the reality of some restaurant owners and asking “for a simple roadmap and an opening date with restrictions and enforcement.” 

So far, the government has taken a staggered approach to the reopening, with the first set of restrictions (reopening of schools and the recommencement of elderly homes’ visitation hours and non-urgent surgeries) eased this week. The next projected date is 26^th April when non-essential shops and services can reopen. On this date, the number of people that are allowed to gather in a public space will increase from two to four.