Malta’s Health department has confirmed that seven people on a flight from Dublin that landed in the country on Tuesday were required to enter mandatory quarantine after their HSE vaccine cards were not accepted.
A number of people who had travelled to the island have been placed in mandatory quarantine as the country doesn’t accept a negative PCR test for those travellers who hadn’t received their vaccination cert.
Despite being vaccinated, many were forced to go into quarry as they had only a HSE vaccination card and not a DCC, The Journal reported.
The office of Malta’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health confirmed that the HSE cards were not accepted and said this was the case for seven passengers on board the flight. The Maltese authorities have added that those individuals must quarantine until they receive a valid DCC.
“The Irish EU vaccine certificates as all other EU vaccine certificates are recognised locally.Only seven were non-compliant as these presented a Vaccination Record Card, instead of a recognised Vaccination Certificate,” the authorities said.
EU member state Malta is part of the Digital Covid Certificate (DCC) system, but those travelling there must be fully vaccinated in order to enter the country without having to quarantine.
Response from Irish officials
The Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) has advised potential holidaymakers to find out about the rules and regulations of their destination country before starting their trip.
ITAA President Paul Hackett said that, to the best of his knowledge, the situation in Malta was specific to that country. Malts is the only European country to refuse fully vaccinated travelers with HSE vaccination cards. This situation can be easily and quickly resolved if the government issues DCCs to all travallers.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Irish Travel Agents Association advised prospective holidaymakers to check the rules and regulations of their destination country before departure, and also to check in with their travel agent for the most up-to-date advice in international travel.
Minister of State for eGovernment Ossian Smyth has said he is concerned to hear about the plight of the Irish holidaymakers and that he will do everything he can to ensure new certs are sent to those affected.A DCC is not a perquisite to travel in the EU this summer as other documentation is also accepted, and it was established to streamline the system of check
PS: Malta’s implementation of the Covid certificate is among the strictest in the EU and Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue has told travelers that they should be aware of the requirements of the country they are visiting.