Groups of more than three people will be ined €100 - Minister

As from today, it will be illegal to congregate in groups of more than three people, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri has announced.

Last week, the government said crowds of more than five people would be dispersed by the police. Camilleri said he was angered by what he saw over the weekend, especially on Sunday, when crowds gathered at certain public places, such as promenades and beaches.

He said a new legal notice will be published which will limit the maximum number of people who can gather to three. Those who do not obey will be fined €100 each. Camilleri did not exclude the possibility of increasing these fines if it is seen that the rules are still not being adhered to.

The new legislation will not apply to groups exceeding three if all the members of that group live in the same household, Camilleri later clarified. The laws also will not apply in the case of bus stops and bank queues, but there Camilleri stressed that people are still obliged to observe the safe two metres distance between one another.

He said that the majority of people are cooperating, but that measures had to be put in place to deal with those few who are not.

Camilleri also announced that WiFi in public areas will be restricted so as to discourage people from congregating in public areas.

Camilleri said that while a lot of enforcement work had been done in the last two days by the police and LESA, other police units, including the Cavalry Section and the Canine Unit, will now be mobilised to contribute to the patrolling. The Cavalry Section will be patrolling rural areas in particular.

He said that the police will also be taking the initiative to release information in different languages so that foreigners living in Malta can understand and adhere to the regulations in place.

Asked by this newsroom whether there were any statistics about the patrolling and dispersing measures taken during the last two days, since restrictions on mass gatherings were first released, Camilleri said that since this was not a fineable offence, no data had been taken, but noted that from now on clear numbers will be kept along with the fines imposed.