Authorities Informed About Paceville Bar Which Remained Open Behind Closed Doors After COVID-19 Curfew
Malta’s authorities were informed of a Paceville bar which secretly remained open after its curfew last Friday night.
Lovin Malta is informed that the report concerns a bar which closed down at 11pm but reopened after midnight once police patrols had left the area.
Philip Fenech, the head of the leisure division at the Chamber of SMEs, confirmed that such reports were brought to his attention and that he flagged them to the authorities.
“I’ve been told that the authorities kept an eye on the establishment after the report was filed and that it did not reopen since,” he said.
Questioned by Lovin Malta, the police said they didn’t find any bar, club, kiosk or snack bar breaking the curfew last Friday.
A curfew on bars was imposed on 16th October to contain the spread of COVID-19 but was upgraded to a full-on ban yesterday. Kiosks and snack bars are allowed to stay open until 11pm but aren’t allowed to sell alcohol, a restriction which wine bars have warned will force them to shut their doors entirely.
Prime Minister Robert Abela last week criticised youths who gathered at St George’s Bay shortly after the curfew, saying “the message of personal responsibility” is not being delivered.
However, Fenech said the majority of these youths were tourists who didn’t know they were doing anything wrong.
“They congregated at the beach, which is the natural open space to go to after being chucked out of a bar,” he said. “Police dispersed the crowd as soon as they were informed and there weren’t any further problems.”
Cover photo: Photos of Paceville taken by Philip Fenech after 11pm last Friday night
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