Our country was not prepared, now we must take all necessary measures – Delia

Opposition leader Adrian Delia said that Malta was not prepared to tackle the spread of the Coronavirus and said that now is the time to take all necessary measures.

The Opposition will continue to work hard for the people and “we appeal to the government to involve the Nationalist Party in its plans,” Delia said. He added that the Opposition has put together an expert group to look into the situation and the impact it will have on the country.

Delia said the Opposition and unions have been calling upon the government to close the schools for quite a while.

“Previously, our own Prime Minister had told us not to panic as this virus is not the plague,” said Delia. “But this virus is extremely serious.”

Delia noted that the government must have its full interest invested in the public, the children and elderly. He said it is not enough to provide elderly people with two months’ worth of medicines they need. “Our elderly are the most people at risk and we need to make a bigger appeal for them to not leave their homes. The majority of our pensioners cannot afford to stock up on medicine, and we must help them as much as possible, even providing them the ‘meal on wheels’ service.”

On quarantine leave, Delia said that the government needs to see what it will do to help those employees, both in the public and private sector. “With the help of technology, all our employees have access to email and many workers are able to work from home. If the majority of our workers are to work from home, this will decrease the risk of transmission,” said Delia. He added that the government must see how to provide quarantine leave to employees in both the public and the private sector.

“We must take heavy measures to ensure that we safeguard our country,” explained Delia. He also echoed that the public must remain calm and do their part, and appeal to the government to listen to the public and the Superintendent of Public Health. “We are in for a rough ride, and we must cooperate together to ensure the best care for our country.”