The Malta Association of Public Health Medicine (MAPHM) in a statement on Wednesday, has called for an immediate increase in restrictive measures to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus following the surge in cases.
The MAPHM highlighted the fact that Mater Dei Hospital is “full to the brim, with only a handful of ITU beds left available.”
It went on to point out that, “other countries have gone into lockdown for a far lower rate of infections than we are in right now. We are not advocating for a full lockdown, but there is a need to introduce stricter measures to stop the current very high level of spread.”
The Association added that, “none of us wants to restrict activities so much that it hurts our families and businesses, but unfortunately, this is the situation we are now in. Unless we make sacrifices now, we will end up suffering even more.”
“This had been the philosophy and reasoning since day 1 of the pandemic,” the Association said, “and whilst this was handled admirably 12 months ago, there is a hesitancy to do what is necessary to prevent further spread now, where the risk is even greater due to the new virus variants and a higher rate of spread.”
It stressed that, “this pandemic has taken a great toll on many people, both directly and indirectly. However, we need to keep on fighting it according to scientific evidence unless we want all the effort and sacrifices of the past year would have been in vain.”
The main principle of the new measures that should be introduced is to reduce the “mingling of people from different households.”
It added that also “all non-essential activities, such as extra-curricular activities and recreational activities, should be restricted for some time. We must improve enforcement through adequate human resourcing and an increase in penalties for defaulters.”
The MAPHM went on to say that “regarding workplaces, we have had a full year to prepare our workforce to work remotely. The Government should lead by example here and order all non-essential personnel to work from home.”
“Unless activities are restricted now,” the Association stressed that “we will be in a worse situation in a few weeks, requiring even stricter measures.”
“Once the infection rates decrease and a once a significant portion of the population has been vaccinated, we can gradually restart activities,” it said.
The Association warned that “the cost of not doing this would be measured in lives lost.”
“In the meantime, the public should avoid gatherings, always keep a distance of two metres apart from others, wear a mask properly and wash hands with soap or alcohol rub regularly, especially when outside the house,” the MAPHM said.
It concluded by stressing, “as always, stay at home if you feel unwell and call the Helpline 111 for advice. This too shall pass, but we need to all do our part, both as individuals and as policymakers.”