Abela Dismisses Kurz’ COVID-19 Vaccine Procurement Criticism: ‘We Have Been Aggressive Because It Was Piracy Before’
Prime Minister Robert Abela dismissed criticism from his Austrian counterpart, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, over Malta’s share of the EU’s procurement of the COVID-19 vaccine, insisting the country was on the front foot after the “modern-day piracy” in the supply of equipment.
“This time last year, it was a war of piracy. We would order equipment and it would not arrive. We have been aggressive now. This does not mean we are acting underhand, but we are doing what is necessary to ensure we are on the front foot to vaccinate the public,” he said.
Earlier this week, Kurz accused the EU of giving preferential treatment to Malta when distributing COVID-19 vaccines along the continent. While the Commission rubbished the claims, statistics do show Malta has one of the highest vaccination rate in the EU by far.
Abela, who speaking on One in a discussion programme with seven guests who worked in sectors linked to the pandemic, said that the decision to introduce the latest round of measures was one of the hardest he’s taken, but reiterated that they were necessary.
“We will continue to help those ordered to close or had their business limited through restrictive measures,” he said.
He called on people to “adapt responsibly” and to ensure that the spread is controlled. Abela reiterated that any decision made has been based on science.
In a press conference a couple of week sago, Abela announced that schools, non-essential shops and services, gyms, pools, and hotel restaurants have been closed, while weddings and most religious services have been suspended. Meanwhile, the maximum limit on people who can gather in public has been reduced from six to four.
Malta’s active cases currently stand at 3,124 after 268 new cases and 287 recoveries were registered earlier today.
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