‘Coronavirus is not the plague – there is no need to panic’, Abela says in call for calm

Prime Minister Robert Abela used his customary Sunday speech to call for calm after Malta confirmed its first three cases of coronavirus on Saturday

“The worst reaction we can have is one of panic. I understand that there is fear; these are emotions which we all feel in these circumstances, but there is no need for it. I appeal for calm and rational thought. Don’t allow your emotions to let sensationalism overtake reality,” Abela said.

He said that the biggest mistake one can make is to start believing perceptions and not reality.

Abela was speaking the day after a girl and her parents were diagnosed with the virus, known technically as Covid19. He said that the good news is that all three of them are currently in a good state of health, noting that this is why he is appealing for calm and not panic.

“Coronavirus is not the plague; it is not a sickness which will hit everyone,” Abela said.

He said that only a relatively small percentage of people may get the virus, and out of those the absolute majority will display only minor symptoms and will recover without even needing to go to hospital.

He noted that the small percentage of people who will not recover by themselves will require treatment in hospital and will recover there. He said that the percentage of people who are recovering continues to increase in countries with a high level of healthcare such as Malta.

“It is a virus with a high rate of spread, but with a very high rate of recovery. There is no need for alarm. The scenario should be one of calm and reason. Life will continue normally while everyone takes all the necessary precautions”, Abela said.

He said that this first case was clear proof of how the guidelines of the public health department had been effective. The family who have the virus came from Rome, and followed all the necessary guidelines, he said.

“We are prepared for everything that can happen; stay tranquil – there is no need to panic; everyone can keep going on with their lives while following all the guidelines,” Abela said.

Turning to the political side of the virus, Abela said that decisions have to be taken with reason and proportionality. “The easiest decision will be to isolate the island. We can easily do it – all we have to do is cut off all transport to the island. We may get to this point, but not at this moment. We need to be proportional in our response,” he said.

He said that if extreme decisions are taken, the Maltese people will suffer as a whole.

Health Minister Chris Fearne meanwhile advised all those who think they may have come into contact with the virus to call the helpline 111.

He said that in the past two and a half months since the first case of coronavirus was found in China, Malta had been preparing for the eventuality of the virus entering the country. Now that the first case had been found in the island, Fearne noted that he could say that, in terms of dealing with the case, everything went perfectly to plan.

Fearne said that doctors would be sent out to test for suspected cases. A triage system is also being introduced at health centres to prevent anyone with a suspected case of the virus from mingling with other patients. Fearne said that unlike many other countries, Malta had not been caught off-guard by its first case of the virus.

The health minister said there were now 18 isolation rooms across the island and, besides Mater Dei Hospital, 12 beds were available off-site. He said that preparations are also underway for Boffa Hospital to cater for a further 60 beds.

This was not because they were expecting that many cases in Malta, but because they wanted to be prepared for any eventuality, he said

By Tuesday, a specific building for testing suspected Coronavirus would also be used, he said.

He too appealed for calm, stating that there is no need for alarm because the authorities are prepared and led by dedicated and extremely competent people.