COVID-19 Guidance for Asylum-Seekers & Refugees in Malta

Information on COVID-19 for Refugees and Asylum-seekers in Malta

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency in Malta is providing information to refugees and asylum-seekers in Malta on the prevention of COVID-19.

Please click below to view WHO infographics explaining some of the ways that the spread of the virus can be prevented, in 6 different languages:

COVID-19 guidance posters in English, Arabic, French, Somali, Tigrinya and Bangla.

Information on COVID-19

It is important that you are familiar with all the precautions that can be taken to avoid and prevent infection of yourself and those around you.

The new Coronavirus – called COVID-19 – is a disease that is like the cold. The virus causes fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

It is also easy for the virus to spread on our hands and in drops of spit, for example when sneezing or coughing. This is why we must all make sure we act in a safe and healthy way. If we stop the disease before it gets to very old or very sick people, they will not be in danger.

So far, around 100 people have corona virus in Malta (as of 23 March 2020). Those persons are in isolation: separated from the rest of us so they cannot make other people sick.

We can keep Malta safe if we all protect ourselves and people around us. This is a shared responsibility, and we all need to follow the prevention instructions.

How to protect yourself and the people around you

The virus is often carried by our hands. The best way to stop this disease is with soap. Soap kills the virus. Wash your hands regularly with soap and water. If you don’t have soap and water nearby, you can use alcohol rub. Wash your hands for 20 seconds.

Practice breathing/respiratory hygiene. This means:

When coughing or sneezing, do this in your flexed elbow or in a paper tissue. Do not cough or sneeze in your hands. They will carry the virus to the things you touch.
Cover your nose and mouth when coughing.
Throw the tissue into a closed bin.
Wash your hands.
Clean your phone regularly. You touch it with your hands and face every day.
Maintain social distancing -> at least 1 metre. Do not shake hands, hug or kiss. Use other ways of greeting each other instead. Wash hands after coming into contact with people. Make sure you distance yourself from people who are coughing or have a fever.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Especially in public places. Wash your hands before.
Be careful around animals. Wash your hand after you have touched animals.
Make sure to wash fruit and vegetables and cook your food well.
There is no need to wear a face mask unless you are infected with the corona virus, or if you are taking care of people who are sick. In other situations, wearing a face mask will not prevent you from getting sick. It might increase your risk of getting sick.

How to recognise if you are sick

There are several symptoms, ways to recognise the disease:

Do you have a fever?
Are you coughing?
Are you out of breath more easily than usual or do you have difficulties breathing?

What to do when you are sick

If you are feeling unwell and you have any of the symptoms, you should stay at home or in the open centre where you are residing, stay in your room and call 111. If you do not speak English/Maltese, see if a friend can make the call for you.
You should not go to the hospital or any health facilities. Doing this will create a risk for other people to be infected.

If you are feeling like you have fever, coughing or have difficulty breathing, try to distance yourself from other people.

Check UNHCR Malta Facebook page for more information on corona virus.

We will update the UNHCR website and Facebook page regularly to make sure you have access to the correct information.

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