Tourism Ministry claps back at criticism over ‘Christmas in the City', says no mass events included
• Organising ‘Christmas in the City’ disrespectful to frontliners, Environmental Health officers say
The Tourism Ministry has clapped back at mounting criticism over its organisation of the ‘Christmas in the City’ activity in Valletta, saying that it does not include any major events and that the outdoor activities which will be held will be in full conformity with all COVID-19 regulations.
The Ministry said, in a statement, that it wished to clarify that major events which would take place over the Christmas period, such as the ‘Winter Wonderland’, had been cancelled owing to the fact that mass events cannot be organised due to the pandemic.
“Hence, contrary to the impression given by some, it is not true that in Valletta, or in any other locality, any parties or entertainment shows will be organised”, the Ministry said.
The Ministry said that, as explained in the launch press conference on Monday, the Valletta Cultural Agency (VCA) will be decorating only the main roads, will be lighting a Christmas Tree, setting up a crib, and showing a light projection on the facade of the President’s Palace.
“The VCA intends to, through music, small choirs, and performing arts, bring a positive Christmas spirit to all those families who choose to go to Valletta to buy presents or eat at a restaurant during that period,” the statement read.
The Ministry added that on direction of the health authorities, these small initiatives held in the open will be in absolute conformity with all directives and protocols which are in place. Every person who enters Valletta must also respect the existing laws, including the obligatory use of masks and social distancing, the Ministry said.
The Tourism Ministry and the Arts Ministry reiterated that people’s health remains a priority.
The ministry’s statement came in reaction to a flurry of opposition to the announced Christmas in the City by healthcare unions and associations.
On Monday, Paul Pace – the President of the Malta Union of Nurses and Midwives had said that it is “extremely irresponsible of these political figures to give
out such mixed messages. The Health Authorities are telling people not to have any gatherings, both outside and inside of their homes.”
Yesterday morning, the Medical Association of Malta (MAM) condemned the attitude of the Prime Minister and Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli “who deliberately ignore scientific advice and play the populism card in the thick of an epidemic, while death and disease from COVID are reaching record heights.”
“It appears that for Minister Farrugia Portelli the July parties were the test tube, and Christmas is going to be real thing in fomenting an unprecedented epidemic,” MAM said in a statement. MAM added that it is no wonder that “fake” enforcement has been taken away from the police and put under her responsibility.
“While doctors and other healthcare workers have to risk their own health on a daily basis, the prime minister has ruled out any form of lockdown, while Minister Julia Farrugia now has new mechanisms in place to ask the whole Maltese population to ignore the advice of the Health Minister and Prof. Gauci, and go out and have fun during Christmas,” MAM added.
In addition, the Malta Environmental Health Officers Association also spoke out on Tuesday, saying that the decision by the government to organise ‘Christmas in the City’ in order to encourage people to go to Valletta is disrespectful to frontliners, the vulnerable, and the families of victims of COVID-19.
In a statement, the association said that the organisation of this event only days after Health Minister Chris Fearne had said that the number of positive cases of COVID-19 is expected to increase in the coming days shows that instead of pulling the same rope to control the pandemic, every entity is pulling its own rope.
They said that the organisation of such an activity is disrespectful to frontliners who have been working for eight months almost non-stop to fight COVID-19, to all those in obligatory quarantine, to all those who lost someone close to them due to COVID-19, to all the vulnerable and elderly who are locked into residences with limits on how many times their family can visit them, and to all the establishments which had to close recently due to the new measures to mitigate the spread of the pandemic.
“We cannot continue to take this pandemic so lightly”, the association said.
“We understand that life has to go on and that we need to learn to live with COVID-19, but we think that it is premature for these types of decisions to be taken”, they said.