LOCAL NEWS
Press Conference by Health Superintendent Prof. Charmaine Gauci (20th April, 1230)
Health Superintendent Prof Charmaine Gauci announced that eight other persons have recovered after being infected by coronavirus, taking this tally to 126.
574 tests have been carried out on Sunday resulting in four positive cases, taking the total to 431, leaving 302 active cases. Prof Gauci noted that the authorities were observing a trend where less persons came for testing during the weekends. In this context she appealed for people to get tested as soon as they experience any coronavirus related symptoms.
Three of these four new cases concern immigrants at Hal Far tent village. The men are from Morocco, Somalia and Sudan.
96 people fined yesterday
96 persons were fined €100 each during the continuous patrols that the Police are doing in order to ensure that there are no groups of more than 3 people in public places, as per the legal notice published by the government.
To date 646 persons have been fined in breach of being in groups of more than 3 people in public. A food establishment in Marsaxlokk was fined €3,000 after an inspection found that it had a bench outside on the street with two clients eating on it.
More beds in Gozo
The number of beds at the Gozo General Hospital for patients who might get infected by Covid-19 has now gone up to 120. The increase took place after elderly people who were in Sant’Anna ward in this hospital were relocated to a licenced building close to the hospital.
The building, which can accommodate a further 20 elderly persons, has been equipped with all the necessities in order to serve as an old people’s home while offering good services and comfort. The relocation took place as part of the plan for Gozo to be
well-equipped to deal with the spread of Covid-19.
MEDIA COVERAGE
Timesofmalta.com
Study finds people’s happiness is down by a third following pandemic
The level of happiness among 1,800 participants in a study dropped by a third by the third week of the COVID-19 outbreak in Malta, an online survey has shown.
The research looked into what determines people’s happiness during self-quarantine, as governments across the globe struggle to contain the pandemic and its economic fallout.
Economist and lecturer Marie Briguglio told Times of Malta that people are experiencing considerable impacts on their lifestyles, with potential effects on mental health and well-being.
Repatriation scheme for foreign nationals extended to May 10
The government’s voluntary repatriation assistance scheme for all foreign nationals who wish to return to their home country has been extended to May 10, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
Assistance is available to all European Union citizens and third-country nationals who have been staying in Malta for different purposes, such as employment, education, family reasons and tourism, among others.
Foreign individuals who are not in possession of a residence document are also entitled to assistance.
Maltatoday
Malta braced for restrictions to stay until end of summer
People are bracing themselves for restrictive measures to last until the end of summer despite the country’s success in containing COVID-19, a MaltaToday survey found.
The survey was held before Health Minister Chris Fearne cautiously suggested some of the restrictions may start to be lifted in the coming weeks.
The survey found that 44.9% of people expected the restrictive measures to stay in place until the end of summer, while 27.4% believed they will remain in force until the end of June.
Independent
Reports suggest many have had Coronavirus with no symptoms
A flood of new research suggests that far more people have had the coronavirus without any symptoms, fueling hope that it will turn out to be much less lethal than originally feared.
While that’s clearly good news, it also means it’s impossible to know who around you may be contagious. That complicates decisions about returning to work, school and normal life.
In the last week, reports of silent infections have come from a homeless shelter in Boston, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, pregnant women at a New York hospital, several European countries and California.
Printed
The Times quotes an ongoing study which shows a decline in people’s sense of happiness and life satisfaction as the Covid-19 situation persists. The mean level of happiness went down to five out of ten compared to seven, three weeks earlier.
L-Orizzont carries an interview with Charles Borg, the CEO of PG Group which runs the Pavi and Pama supermarkets. Borg said that online shopping grew by four times since the beginning of the outbreak.
In-Nazzjon reports that Air Malta has called off meetings with its pilots and withdrew offers for pay-cuts. The paper says that the carrier is expected to lay off 80 percent of its pilots on Tuesday.
L-Orizzont announces that 19 patients recovered from the coronavirus between Saturday and Sunday while a new case was registered following around 780 swabs. There have now been 427 confirmed patients.
Editorials
The Times refers to recent economic assessments by the IMF and credit rating agencies, noting that current forecasts for Malta are generally more benign than those for other European Union countries. The Editor notes that while some assessments are more negative than others, these highlight that some challenges related to economic sustainability were already there before the crisis. The Editorial therefore calls for soul searching and a long- term plan for the well-being of our society.
The Independent notes a change in the tide between the environment and rampant construction on our islands. It says that as the pandemic continued to take its toll, and people sought secluded locations to get some fresh air, many are beginning to better understand the importance of the environment, better understand nature’s beauty. This could bring with it a change in priorities for many people. It therefore calls for more stringent planning regulations to protect the green areas we have, and a stricter policy of creating green areas in built areas must be undertaken by the government.
L-Orizzont also focuses on the environment with an emphasis on air quality. It notes that European reports show that emissions have increased, despite best efforts to implement cleaner forms of energy. It calls on the authorities to provide incentives to secure alternative modes of transport which respect the environment.
In-Nazzjon argues that Government has been forced to take out massive loans to cover support for the Covid-crisis as a result of having substantially increased its recurrent expenditure, particularly by spending money on scandalous projects such as the hospital deal, as well as for increasing the public sector wage costs by 74 million euro in just a year.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Boris Johnson resists easing of coronavirus lockdown
Boris Johnson has told colleagues that he is very cautious about easing lockdown restrictions and that his “overriding concern” is avoiding a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
The prime minister, who is recovering from Covid-19 at Chequers after several nights in intensive care, held a two-hour meeting on Friday with Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, Dominic Cummings, his most senior adviser, and Lee Cain, his director of communications.
Johnson was quoted as saying that his first priority is seeing that the UK recovers. The PM is understood to have met his deputy Dominic Raab at Chequers on Friday to discuss the crisis.
Quarter of Europe’s jobs at risk from coronavirus crisis
More than a quarter of all jobs in Europe could be impacted by the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, according to an analysis from McKinsey. The consultancy estimated that up to 59 million jobs are at risk of things like reduced working hours, temporary furloughs or permanent job losses. Unemployment could almost double in the coming months with staff most affected in areas like customer service and sales, food services and building occupations, the study, published Monday, found.
McKinsey urged policymakers to take “swift and forceful action” taking into account the varying impact across industries, occupations and demographics.
“Europe must avoid the significant rise in unemployment witnessed during the 2008-9 financial crisis,” when the unemployment rate rose by 27 percent, the report said.
EU Corner
Not the time for stricter rules for production of ventilators and facemasks – EPP
The EPP Group said in a statement that it supported the postponement by one year of the entry-into-force of new, stricter rules regarding the production of medical devices such as respiratory ventilators and facemasks.
“This health crisis has put our medical devices industry under enormous pressure to meet the immediate demands of the healthcare sector. We must help by pressing the pause button on the new rules until things return to normal”, said Mairead McGuinness MEP, Vice-President of the European Parliament, and Peter Liese MEP, the EPP Group’s Spokesman for Health, ahead of the vote in the European Parliament today.
More News:
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Additional info
Helplines
111 – For those who feel symptoms of COVID-19 or who wish further information
21411 411 – For those in mandatory quarantine who require provisions of food and medicine
1772 – For those who are feeling lonely.
153 – For those who require information about the financial measures administered by the Department for Social Security.
144 – For those who require information about the financial measures administered by Malta Enterprise.
2204 2200 – For Maltese residents who were caught in one of the high-risk countries and wish to return to Malta
25981000 – For those who have questions about the educational sector and the impact of the coronavirus
21692447– For hoteliers and tourists who have questions about the announced measures.
This daily update bulletin is being compiled for the Chamber of Advocates by CI Consulta from Corporate ID Group. CI Consulta delivers policy research and analysis, evaluations and impact assessments up to policy implementation and integration.
