Updated 2007
Malta is registering “success” in the health and economic sector – PM Abela.
Among the contributors to this success, the PM singled out the Armed Forces of Malta. He referred to the request by Repubblika and a member of the Opposition, Jason Azzopardi, to investigate the Prime Minister and other Ministers to the happenings related to the death of a number of immigrants in Malta’s waters.
PM Abela said that after putting himself at the disposal of the Police, a formal investigation will be initiated against both the Prime Minister himself and twelve members of the Armed Forces of Malta. The PM expressed himself as “disappointed” that when all country’s efforts were needed to combat the current pandemic, Repubblika and the Opposition was tying the hands of dedicated people and obstructing them from doing their jobs. “This will not stop us from doing our jobs”, insisted PM Abela.
Abela re-iterated Government’s position that Malta cannot offer a secure port during the current pandemic and cannot afford resources to save immigrants at sea in view of the current situation.
The PM also referred to today’s decision by the European Court of Human Rights which rejected a legal appeal made by Repubblika to oblige Malta and Italy to rescue people at sea.
Abela concluded by asking the public to continue to show “respect and love” towards all immigrants in our country.
Updated 1236
Prof Charmaine Gauci announced nine further recoveries.
1090 swabs were carried out yesterday, a continuously increasing number. This resulted in ten new positive cases, taking the tally to 422 cases. Excluding recoveries and deaths, the number of active cases stood at 328.
One case related to travel, a 31 year old woman returning on a repatriation flight. She was immediately quarantined and therefore the case was contained. However, contact tracing with the other passengers is taking place.
The other persons include citizens from Britain, Colombia and Nepal and three Sudanese other immigrants at Hal Far. The remaining patients are Maltese.
Prof Gauci repeated her appeal that despite good weather looking likely during the weekend, for the public to restrict going out to ensure their own safety and that of others.
Replying to a question by the press, the Health Superintendent said that the authorities were not excluding a second wave and that it was actually likely.
Updated 1025
Press Conference by Economy Minister Silvio Schembri
Economy Ministry Silvio Schembri said that Malta Enterprise handled more than 42,500 calls, messages through social media and other methods of communication with regard to current situation and its economic impact. These consist of individuals and companies requesting support or guidance.
300 companies have applied for assistance related to teleworking, with 77 of them having already been approved. Government has already released funds for 64 of these companies, totaling 81,000 euro.
Quarantine leave: Government is support companies by covering 350 euro for each person on a fourteen-day quarantine leave. 1,298 such requests have been received, with 491 already have been disbursed, for a total of just under 50,000 euro.
Wage supplement: Schembri explained that this is the most important scheme administered by Malta Enterprise but at the same time requires a complex process of verification to ensure that taxpayer money is being invested in the appropriate manner. 16,970 requests for support have been received. Schembri also added that “this is not a matter of choosing between companies, as every genuine application will be approved”.
When considering the number of people employed with the companies who made these requests, these requests are covering almost 77,000 persons. These are all jobs that have been saved, quipped the Minister, explaining that the absolute majority of these were full-time jobs.
He explained that the scope of this initiative is to provide a social wage. Therefore, if a part-time job was the person’s main income, such income was covered. Those persons who have a full-time as well as a part-time one, the latter was not eligible for support.
Under Annex A, that is those businesses who suffered the biggest hit with the current crisis, more than 4,300 applications have already been processed, with 2,963 being approved. This resulted in a disbursement of just under 5 million euro.
Silvio Schembri also announced that Malta Enterprise will administering the interest rate subsidy scheme launched yesterday, which is being costed at 20 million euro a month. This assistance is not related to new investment, but funds to allow businesses to pay suppliers, salaries and current expenditure.
Schembri said that Government was currently working not only on an exit strategy with regards to the easing of restrictions, in the coming “days and weeks” but also a “re-start strategy” in terms of economic measures, for the different sectors, indicating that current support schemes will be updated and improved upon.
Updated 1018
The Institute for Education will be providing online courses for teachers and parents. In a press conference by Education Minister Owen Bonnici and Ministy officials, it was announced that these sessions will be free of charge and not accredited. The subjects of the courses vary from mathematics to courses on autism and ADHD amongst others.
The head of the Institute for Education, Joanne Grima, explained that educators who accumulate a certain amount of training hours through these courses, will be entitled to earlier career progression.
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Thursday was a certainly a busy day for journalists in Malta’s media houses, with no less than three press briefings, dealing with the introduction of a subsidy for businesses on interest rates, support measures for those renting their accommodation and an updated of social assistance during this crisis. If you missed any of the details, you can catch up with all that happened here.
Malta registered 13 new cases yesterday, bringing up the total to 412, with a 96-year-old among the most recent identified patients. On the plus side, recoveries have now exceeded 80. In the evening, Health Minister Chris Fearne, speaking on TVM’s Xtra, appeared to give a glimmer of hope when stating that if infections remained low, Government could start to look at the easing of some restrictions “during the coming weeks”.
Five persons were each fined €100 during the continuous rounds Police are conducting to ensure no gatherings involving more than 3 persons in public places take place, according to the legal notice issued by Government. In the meantime, no one was found breaching obligatory quarantine during the 665 inspections carried out in
the last 24 hours.
