Update below – An 8 hour meeting of the MCESD failed to find an agreement between the Medical Association of Malta and the Government delegation led by Prime Minister Robert Abela and Health Minister Chris Fearne.

In a statement, the MAM said that half way through the meeting, news reached the Auberge De Castille where the meeting was being held, that numbers of Covid-19 “had increased by 150% in one day reaching a new record level of local cases.”

Furthermore, the US Centre of Disease Control, which is the most reputable institution in the world on infectious disease, advised American citizens to avoid all nonessential travel to Malta, because of the high risk of Covid, the Association said, “raising the prospect that Malta would be blacklisted by more EU countries.”

The MAM said that directives will continue for a second consecutive day and it has urged the government to implement an “emergency setup” at Mater Dei.

“The Government acknowledged that mass events were problematic and agreed to issue stiffer regulations, more strict enforcement with the introduction of fines,” the MAM said.

It added that, “masks indoors would be made obligatory and police would be enforcing wearing of masks indoors. Government officials including civil servants would start wearing masks in public media events.”

Dr. Balzan on behalf of MAM, who was in phone contact with other MAM officials, was adamant that it was the “duty of the Government to control the epidemic and ban all mass events until the Covid numbers did not exceed three cases per day, particularly when the cause was daily parties and events held all over the island.”

The Government proposal to allow mass/public events of up to 300 people was deemed “absurd and dangerous” by Dr. Balzan. Another proposal to limit the number to 60 indoors and 100 outdoors was also not accepted, the MAM said.

MAM, at the meeting, said that it did not change its original position, “as the health and safety of its members, and the protection of the health of the Maltese people was more important that short term profits from events which are a very small percentage of the Maltese economy.”

While the MAM acknowledged the “Prime Minister’s efforts to strengthen and empower enforcement, it condemned the use of weddings as a pretext to allow commercial mass events during an epidemic.”

Update:

Following last night’s meeting, One News is reporting that Prime Minister Abela said that no mass events will be held, only weddings.

Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci advised that 2 new testing centres would open next week to help authorities keep up with the demand for testing.

She also advised that wearing of masks would be mandatory on public transport, the ferry and in shops. Enforcement would be carried out, with fines of €50 for those caught.

The amendments would be put into law as of today, she did also explained that there would be certain criteria even for non-mass activities, including the number of people that could attend, both inside and out.

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