Ministry issues reminder of Easter weekend exceptions

With Easter weekend around the corner, the Health Ministry issued a reminder on the small exceptions to lockdown measures for Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, but called on the public to celebrate safely and in adherence with measures in place as efforts continue to lower daily cases and hospitalisations.

On Holy Saturday, the curfew will kick in at 1am on Sunday, but only to facilitate churchgoers travelling to and from church services. On all other days, curfew begins at 9pm.

For Easter Sunday, the number of permitted daily outings via SMS to 8998 will be increased from one to two, with each SMS lasting up to three hours.

Each SMS could be for different outings, or to extend the first one. For example, a category 5 text could be sent to visit the home of friends or family before a category 6 text is sent to go for a walk or run later on in the day. Alternatively, someone who has already sent a category 5 text to visit friends or family and wants to extend the visit for more than three hours, can send a second category 5 text.

On all other days, only one daily outing of a maximum of three hours is permitted.

On Easter Sunday, the public will be able to visit the homes of friends or family, provided they do not exceed 10 persons, including minors. On all other days, visiting other homes is forbidden.

The Health Ministry also said that throughout the lockdown until May 9, travelling to holiday homes or second homes, be they in the same or different district, is permitted, and corresponds to a category 8 SMS. In the case of overnight stays, a new text must be sent to 8998 upon returning.