ECDC red listing does not have a direct consequence on tourism – Minister Bartolo
Malta being placed on the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control’s (ECDC) red list will not have direct consequences on the country’s tourism sector, Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo told The Malta Independent.
Malta was placed on the red list amid a recent surge in the number of Covid-19 cases. Countries are placed on the red list if their notification rate is between 75 and 200 and they have a positivity rate higher than 4. Lithuania was the first country to re-impose quarantine restrictions on people entering the country from Malta, only hours after Malta was placed on the red list on Monday.
The minister was fielding questions from the press. Asked about the red list by this newsroom, he said: “Malta was not the only country whose status changed last week. The fact that, as a country, we are on the red list does not have direct consequences on our tourism sector, because we already decided that every visiting tourist has to be vaccinated, with exceptions for children.”
Asked about the concerns raised regarding Malta’s u-turns on tourism damaging Malta’s reputation abroad, and if this could have been avoided, he said: “As a country we have always acted in a cautious manner. First, we introduced the vaccine certificate or PCR test requirement, which applied for all those visiting Malta. Later, we adopted a more cautious approach requiring a vaccine to safeguard the health of the Maltese public and to avoid closing the country.”
This year, he said, “we have a completely different situation. Last year we focused more on restrictions while this year we are focusing more on the vaccine.”
Asked if Malta opened too fast, the minister said the government was sometimes criticised for opening too fast, and other times for being too slow. “The approach we have always adopted was one of caution.”
He said some decisions taken were hard but needed to be taken.
“We kept taking decisions. The worst thing you can do is not take any decisions at all. This is a government that tries to turn every challenge into an opportunity,” he said.
The vaccine requirement offers peace of mind to travellers, he said. “Even the fact that most of the population is now fully vaccinated, it is helping us build a sustainable tourism sector.”
Currently, there are a number of English language students who are in quarantine. Some of them tested positive while others were in contact with them. Minister Bartolo was asked a number of questions about this situation, and about the vouchers students were offered for choosing Malta for their English language course.
The way the vouchers for English students worked was that for every night that an English language student spent in Malta, they were to receive a €10 voucher. These vouchers were only to be given to a student if they were to spend a minimum of 15 nights, up to a maximum of 30 nights.
Asked how many language students are in quarantine, Bartolo said the amount “is determined by the Superintendent for Public Health who conducts a daily analysis.”
Stories have been emerging of parents abroad who are concerned about their children currently quarantining in Malta. Asked if the government was ensuring that these students are being treated well, the minister said the Malta Tourism Authority is conducting regular inspections. “We didn’t have to, but we took the initiative to go check what their conditions are.”
“We started repatriation flights for students who are negative but were in quarantine. Strict protocols are being adhered to.”
Asked whether it was wise to give vouchers to students, Bartolo said the regulations for entering Malta cannot discriminate between students and other people. “The rules were clear from the onset. At the time, people could come to Malta either with a vaccine certificate or a negative PCR test. These students you refer to adhered to these regulations and you can never discriminate against them.”
Pressed to say if it was well thought out to encourage them to come with the vouchers, Bartolo said this is a big sector that employs around 2,000 people. A number of three-star hotels and host families also benefit from this sector.
“This is a sector that we wanted to incentivise as part of the tourism sector’s overall requirement. We took decisions when we needed to safeguard the people’s health.”
Asked whether he had any regrets, he said that the country is facing challenges and in this scenario it is difficult to answer with a yes or no.
Asked for his comments on the performance of his predecessor, Julia Farrugia Portelli, he said he would not judge any minister. Asked on his own performance, Bartolo said the people would judge him.
He said his ministry has already announced various initiatives, has launched a tourism recovery plan and has restored connectivity to the country, both in terms of air and sea travel.