Government expected to announce review of current Covid-19 measures today
The government is expected to announce a review of the current Covid-19 measures today, The Malta Independent is informed.
The current measures, which threw Malta into a semi-lockdown which was similar to that which the country found itself in this time last year, are set to expire this coming Sunday on 11 April.
Under the current set of measures, schools, non-essential shops and services, gyms, restaurants, and bars are all closed while organised sports are banned and gatherings are restricted to two households indoors and two people outdoors – though the latter limit can be exceeded provided the whole group lives under the same roof.
Prime Minister Robert Abela said earlier on Tuesday that the reopening will be “very cautious” and will have education as a priority – perhaps indicating that schools can be expected to reopen as from Monday 12 April.
This newsroom is informed that while some restrictions will be repealed, new protocols which will differ from those which were in place prior to these measures being announced are expected to be implemented.
The Malta Union of Teachers has said that the physical reopening of schools should not be the first measures to be relaxed, while the Union of Professional Educators told this newsroom that they are comfortable with schools being reopened, although they called for amendments to protocols on students’ daily breaks.
Other bodies and associations have also been clamouring to know what will happen come next week.
Three major sports associations – those governing football, basketball, and aquatic sports – came together in a joint statement to call for competitive sports to be allowed to resume, noting that transmission of the virus was negligible at best in their respective sports.
The Malta Chamber of SMEs meanwhile lamented with this newsroom that “the government is keeping people in the dark” about the reopening of non-essential shops. “All we’ve heard is speculation on what’s going to happen,” Chamber CEO Abigail Mamo told this newsroom.
In a statement yesterday morning, the Medical Association of Malta (MAM), highlighted that any re-opening of economic activity should be very gradual and accompanied with close monitoring and adjusted as necessary, based on sound scientific evidence. “Such a gradual process would allow remedial action to be taken promptly and effectively should numbers rise again.”
MAM cautioned against any easing of restrictions at events where social distancing is difficult or unrealistic before Malta reaches herd immunity. “This is unlikely to be achieved before 70% of the population is fully vaccinated.”
“Unfortunately the Malta Tourism Authority once again seems to be planning large commercial parties,” MAM said. “These events should be the very last to open and as much as possible after the protective effects of vaccines on such events has been scientifically demonstrated. As the British variant is much more contagious than the previous virus, just one event could lead to hundreds of new cases in a few days. This is to be avoided at all costs,” MAM concluded.
The tourism authority denied that it is planning any large parties.
The medical association’s statement also read that the practice of free for all boarding on commercial flights, with random swabbing on arrival is insufficient and presents significant risks as positive individuals not only can board the aircraft without a test, but may spread the virus to other passengers at airports and especially on board the aircraft. Prior swab tests or authenticatable vaccine certificates should be introduced before boarding onto an aircraft, so as to guard against new variants of concern, MAM said.
With reference to the statement issued by the Medical Association of Malta, the Malta Tourism Authority categorically denied that it is presently planning any “large commercial parties.”
The Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) said it is working tirelessly to have Malta’s tourism sector operating in a gradual manner, but it “firmly believes that this should not be done at the expense of the health and safety of the tourists who will be visiting the Maltese Islands, or even at the expense of the health and safety of all those who are employed within the industry and the general public.”
“The tourism recovery plan is being presented in a responsible manner and puts a special emphasis on sustainable tourism,” the MTA said.