Charmaine Gauci Says ‘Unfortunate Things’ In Israel Make It Tough To Assess Outdoor Mask Removal Success
Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci appeared to refer to the Israel-Palestine conflict as a reason why it’s been tough for the health authorities to gauge Israel’s experience when removing mandatory masks outdoors.
Israel removed mandatory masks on 18th April after around 60% of its population had been vaccinated against COVID-19 and 57% were fully vaccinated. Five days later Gauci said the Maltese health authorities will monitor the country’s experience to assess whether Malta should follow suit.
Israel’s COVID-19 numbers have declined since then – its seven-day moving average of daily new cases stood at 159 on 18th April but currently stands at 29.
Lovin Malta today asked Gauci why Malta has yet to remove its law obliging everyone to wear a mask at all times outdoors when Israel’s numbers have remained low.
“We’re constantly evaluating the mask situation,” the Superintendent responded. “Israel is currently in a situation whereby certain things are unfortunately going on, which makes it hard for us to evaluate the situation. We’ll take it step by step and use information from other counties, see what’s happening in Malta, and take it from there.”
Although Gauci didn’t specify what “unfortunate” things she was referring to, the world has stood aghast in recent days as they witnessed the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Meanwhile, Malta has overtaken Israel in vaccination in recent days. Recent statistics show that some 66% of the Maltese population has been vaccinated, compared to 63% of Israel’s.
36% of the Maltese population has been fully vaccinated, compared to 59% of Israel’s.
Cover photo: Left: Israel Defense Forces
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