Malta’s Police Are Now Fining Picnickers For Taking Off Their Masks To Eat And Drink
Over the weekend, some police officers have been patrolling the countryside and pouncing on picnickers who removed their masks to eat and drink.
A man told Lovin Malta that he and three friends were eating and drinking on a bench at Ġnien l-Għarusa tal-Mosta over the weekend, socially distanced from other picnickers, when four police officers approached them.
“They all approached us, which means they broke the law forbidding groups of more than six people from gathering in public. They asked us why we weren’t wearing masks and I asked them how I could eat and drink while wearing a mask.”
“They told me I could have gone to a restaurant to eat and drink and when I pointed out that restaurants are closed, they told me I should have stayed at home. They said that everyone makes excuses and that if I have an issue with the fine I can contest it at a tribunal within two days.”
This man’s encounter isn’t a unique experience either.
A fine received by a woman who took off her mask to eat at a picnic area over the weekend
Yesterday, a woman uploaded a photo of a fine she was given by police for taking off her mask to eat a snack by herself at a picnic area in Pembroke.
“Reason being according to the police officer is because I cannot eat, drink or smoke outside even if I am at a distance sitting alone… obviously I cannot eat with my mask on!!” she said.
Malta made mask-wearing mandatory in all public places last October, with a few exceptions – such as during high-intensity physical activity, during official public speaking, and to take medication.
The legal notice also allows people to take off their masks when “seated at establishments where food and drink is served”, which if interpreted rigidly would mean that taking off one’s mask to eat at a picnic has been banned since October.
However, the authorities have permitted a degree of flexibility to the mask rules, with even Health Minister Chris Fearne confirming last October that people are allowed to temporarily remove their masks to smoke – even though the legal notice doesn’t specifically point it out as an exception.
Meanwhile, a Facebook user shared a message she received from LESA last November when she asked them point-blank whether people can remove their masks to eat or drink when in a public place that isn’t a restaurant, such as a picnic or a bench.
LESA's response when asked about masks at picnics last November
LESA responded that doing so is fine so long as you’re sitting down.
Several new measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 were announced last week, with Prime Minister Robert Abela pledging to beef up enforcement.
However, neither he, Chris Fearne, or Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci ever mentioned that mask rules have been changed to effectively ban picnics.
No public statement has been issued by the authorities since the press conference either and Lovin Malta has sent questions to the Health Ministry to clarify the situation.
Photo left: Malta Police Force, Photo right: Ġnien l-Għarusa tal-Mosta
Has something similar happened to you over the weekend? Let us know in the comment section or reach out in confidence at [email protected]
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