Medical Association Says Malta Has Second Highest Rate Of New Cases In EU, Proposes New Measures
Malta’s Medical Association (MAM) said that Malta has the highest rate of new cases – based on a 14-day average – in the entire European Union and proposed a number of economic and health measures.
“As a result, at least 16 EU countries have introduced travel restrictions to / from Malta, and arrivals have decreased significantly, with serious long terms sustained economic consequences on the tourism sector,“ the association said.
“Measures have to be taken to bring this number to under 10 a day as soon as possible.”
Throughout the past month, a number of countries have placed Malta on restricted travel lists – these include Switzerland, Belgium, and the UK.
The association also raised concerns about the increased spread of COVID-19 amongst vulnerable individuals.
“Should Malta manage to decrease the number of new cases back to June levels, this would reap both public health and economic benefits,” the association continued.
“Malta needs to bring the numbers down rapidly to reopen its ports and support the tourism sector, but it must regain the confidence of foreign government to reverse travel restrictions.”
In light of this, the MAM proposed three separate measures. These include:
- The implementation of further restrictive measures and the continuation of financial compensation to businesses and employees
- Ensuring that anyone who boards a plan or a ship inbound to Malta has been tested 72 hours prior to their departure
- Extending the expiry date of the government-issued COVID-19 vouchers to the end of December.