Malta to require full vaccination to enter, will not recognise US CDC card

Norway has said the same thing (but won’t accept UK proof of vax either). They will only accept the EU digital Covid certificate.

This is interested. I have a CDC card from getting vaccinated via the US military, but supposedly it's easy to go to a local pharmacy in Germany and get the QR code required for the EU Vacciene Passport with the CDC card. In that case, I'd assume I'd be good for Malta but I'll probably have to get confirmation of that - it's on a shortlist for a last-minute trip we're taking in August.

@Sarah: I've seen posters on Reddit r/travel with mixed results getting a certificate in Germany. Some posters were successful, others were not. Also, a security firm in Germany audited the process a few weeks ago and pointed out a number of flaws in the German process; that may have resulted in the Germans cracking down. Or not. Impossible to say. Redditers seemed to indicate better luck in larger cities.

Malta specified in that Reuters article that only EU and UK issued Covid vaccination documentation is accepted so nobody else from any other part of the world will be allowed to enter Malta. That’s quite specific.

@Sarah.

Well done by Malta. Only accepting the EU certificates.
US is not even letting Europeans in. Living and working in the USA, but my sons (from Europe) can not join me for a visit!
EU asked for reciprocity, but USA is not giving it. So, I really appreciate this reaction.

Malta doesn't get many US tourists, so not much of a political (or economic) price to pay. They are a tiny micro state that can't afford to get overrun with viral load, living conditions there are super dense and I'm sure that the healthcare system is not infinite. I'm glad I visited some years ago, fascinating place. I would never go in August though unless you like hell-like temps.

Malta's rate of infection is up 1000% (10x) this week as compared to last week:

https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/coronavirus-data-explorer?zoomToSelection=true&time=latest&pickerSort=desc&pickerMetric=totalvaccinationsperhundred&Metric=Confirmed+cases&Interval=Weekly+change&Relative+to+Population=true&Align+outbreaks=false&country=ALB~AND~AUT~BLR~BEL~BIH~BGR~HRV~CYP~CZE~DNK~EST~FIN~FRA~DEU~GRC~HUN~ISL~IRL~ITA~OWIDKOS~LVA~LIE~LTU~LUX~MLT~MDA~MCO~MNE~NLD~MKD~NOR~POL~PRT~ROU~RUS~SMR~SRB~SVK~SVN~ESP~SWE~CHE~UKR~GBR~VAT~USA~CAN

The US is up about 100% (so, double last week's number). I fear that isn't going to encourage European nations to let us in.

Not to stray into boundaries on the forum but I did Read recently part of the reason for lack of reciprocity by the US is that the company Astra Zeneca has not itself applied for approval for its vaccine in the US and since a significant number of residents in UK and EU received the AZ vaccine that may be one reason for the hold up. I don’t know if this is true or not.

While Malta announced on July 9 that they were banning unvaccinated visitors, the EU questioned this and said it could be discriminatory. On July 13 Malta reversed course in response to EU pressure and issued the following:
https://legislation.mt/eli/ln/2021/301/eng
Which says in part:
“ 2249Provided further that persons may travel fromMalta to the countries listed in this proviso and from thecountries listed in this proviso to Malta as long as, upontheir arrival in Malta, they are in possession of a vaccination certificate:”
Then there’s a long list of countries, which includes the US—all 50 states (no longer barring some states as before).
Malta Airport and the Ministry of Health websites (and US Embassy) are still saying only certain vaccination certificates are acceptable, but there’s the language in the new regulations saying “a vaccination certificate” and listing the countries that would need it.
No explanations from Maltese government as to why their new regulations say one thing, but their published entry requirements are not keeping up.

Malta's rate of infection is up 1000% (10x) this week as compared to
last week:

Take that with a grain of salt. With a population of around half a million even small changes can be huge in percentage.

UPDATE:

US Embassy Reports following as of 7/17/21:

The Ministry of Health announced the Government of Malta will recognize the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccination card beginning July 19. CDC cards will be valid for quarantine-free entry into Malta as of July 19, provided holders have received a full vaccination course and that 14 days have passed since their last dose. Beginning August 1, the Government of Malta will require CDC vaccination cards to be digitally verified, but further details have yet to be released.

Link: https://mt.usembassy.gov/message-to-u-s-citizens-u-s-embassy-in-malta-july-17-2021/