Party organiser Sean Cini warned that hundreds of people were gathered in Paceville last night with no social distancing whatsoever and said an unlevel playing field has effectively been created.

“Why is this still being allowed to happen when we and other organisers had to rightfully close our doors, and were subjected to public criticism?” he questioned.

“Unless enforcement is done in order to ensure that social distancing is actually maintained and that people are not gathering in crowds, we will only make matters worse and double the amount of time needed to overcome this pandemic and to ultimately get our lives and businesses back on track.”

In the wake of a rise in COVID-19 cases, Malta implemented restrictions on organised mass events earlier this week.

The law caps organised mass events at 100 people inside the venue and 300 people indoors and prohibits the use of dance floors.

Moreover, the maximum capacity of attendees cannot exceed one person per four square metres and guests cannot gather in groups of larger than ten, with a two-metre distance to be retained between one group of ten and another.

Mask wearing has also been made mandatory in retail stores, at the airport, on buses and on the Gozo Channel, with lawbreakers subject to a €100 fine, reduced to €50 if they own up and pay the penalty before the case reaches court.

However, there have been early warnings of a lack of enforcement, with a Gozo Channel worker today urging the police to enforce the law on board ferries.

What do you make of the current state of play?