Cover photo: Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri (photo: Facebook, taken before social distancing measures came into force)

Malta is set to limit public Wi-Fi as a means of discouraging people from gathering in groups at the same spot.

Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri announced this latest restriction this evening as part of a new set of measures to enforce social distancing.

Ahead of tomorrow’s celebration of Freedom Day, Camilleri urged people to remember what their forefathers had gone through in times of war.

“Our forefathers suffered from hunger, went to war and died to protect our country, we’re being asked to sit down on the couch,” he said. “If we can’t even do that, we definitely don’t even deserve to be compared to our forefathers who suffered so much for us so that we can celebrate Freedom Day tomorrow.”

Besides the limitation of public WI-FI, police will also be empowered to dish out €100 fines to people who gather in groups of more than three, excluding family members who live in the same households.

Camilleri warned that the government will increase the fine if it realises people are still disobeying the rules.