د . إAEDSRر . س

Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo Pledges Support For Farrugia Portelli’s COVID-19 ‘Mechanisms’

Article Featured Image

Malta’s new Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo has given his support to his predecessor, Julia Farrugia Portelli, and her “mechanisms” to combat the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the crucial industry.

“I don’t believe they were unsuccessful. What we are doing is trying to find a balance between the livelihoods and the lives of Maltese.”

“We’re working hard to keep this balance, something that I believe has been achieved so far, and continue to work on keeping it,” Bartolo told Lovin Malta.

Bartolo has just taken on his new role as Tourism Minister last week following a major Cabinet reshuffle. Farrugia Portelli, who has now been appointed Minister for Inclusion and Quality of Life, had been scrutinised by the medical community for her COVID-19 contingency plans while overseeing the tourism sector.

Just before the reopening of the island’s airport in July, the former tourism minister told the BBC that Malta was the safest country in the Mediterranean because of its virus protocols for businesses and tourism operators. She also unveiled plans for four festivals in the country.

COVID-19 active cases in Malta have climbed from single digits to 2,082 since then, with a death toll of 122. The daily rate of active cases has stabilised but remains within triple digits.

To try curb transmission, measures like mandatory mask-wearing, a lockdown on bars and a limit of group-gatherings to six were introduced. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has projected that the number of new COVID-19 cases could drop by close to 50% by the end of December if current measures are kept in place.

If measures are kept in place, there will also lead to a significant drop in hospitalisations and crucially fatalities.

The measures were meant to expire by 1st December 2020. However, Prime Minister Robert Abela has so already announced that bars will remain closed beyond then.

Tag someone who needs to know this 

READ NEXT: Air Malta Doesn’t Rule Out Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination For International Travellers

Sam is a journalist, artist and writer based in Malta. Send her pictures of hands or need-to-know stories on politics or art on [email protected].

You may also love

View All