Updated 1241
Covid-19 Update: 172 new cases of coronavirus were reported on Friday, the Health Ministry said. 65 patients recovered, while 97 have been repatriated, taking the active case tally to 2,497. 3,640 swab tests were taken yesterday. 19 patients are currently hospitalised.
7% of students used govt vouchers: Just 7% of the language students who travelled to Malta since June 1 used their spending vouchers before the scheme was withdrawn by the government. The vouchers, worth up to €300 for students staying 30 nights, were aimed at generating business in the economy. The Tourism Ministry said that while 18,000 students travelled to Malta in the first two weeks of July, just 6.8% of them used government vouchers provided to them, which would mean just over 1,230 students.
Totally Unreasonable To Put Fully Vaccinated Secondary Contacts In Quarantine – Malta Chamber: The Malta Chamber has urged the health authorities to rethink the existing quarantine measures which should be focused on a risk-based approach for fully vaccinated people. In a statement on Friday, the Chamber said that as over 81% of the adult population in Malta is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that fully vaccinated people are less likely to carry asymptomatic infection or transmit the virus to others, it believes that it is totally unreasonable to put these people under a mandatory 14-day quarantine when they are secondary contacts of confirmed cases. Employers are ending up bearing the brunt of all this, especially where people cannot work from home.
Updated 0845 – Newspaper Review
L-Orizzont says that there have been more than 500,000 transactions using the government Covid-19 vouchers since these were launched in June, mostly using the printed vouchers. The total spend so far amounts to €16 million.
The Independent quotes Economy Minister Silvio Schembri that, for every €1 redeemed from the Covid-19 vouchers, customers have paid an additional €1. He said that he expects the multiplier effect to grow in the coming weeks.
The Times reports that the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage has ordered roadworks in Balzan to stop over concerns about the impact on the aqueducts. The Superintendence will assess the risk before the project can move ahead.
In-Nazzjon follows a meeting between PN Leader Bernard Grech and the Institute of Journalists. Grech revealed that the party is working on a set of proposals aimed at strengthening the fourth pillar of democracy.
The Times says that travellers who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have experienced difficulties in entering France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Luxembourg as the government apps in these countries read their digital certificates as invalid.
In-Nazzjon reports that a Maltese couple filed a judicial protest against the health authorities after they were denied re-entry from a holiday in Portugal. They are holding authorities responsible for damages after they were forced to extend their stay abroad.
The Independent follows international reports on breakthrough Covid-19 cases which are infecting double-vaccinated persons. International health authorities assured populations that these cases are a small portion of total infections.
L-Orizzont reports on projections by the International Monetary Fund expecting GDP in Malta to grow by 5.8 per cent in 2022. The country report revised its forecast from earlier this which expected an increase of 4.7 per cent.
In-Nazzjon says that Economy Minister Silvio Schembri defended the government’s management of the pandemic. Asked by the paper about the surge in cases, the minister said that the rise does not mean that the wrong decisions were taken.
Morning Briefing
Malta placed on high risk list by UK
Malta’s prospects took another hit yesterday with the United Kingdom placing Malta among the list of high-risk countries for money laundering and terrorist financing. In the UK’s latest update, Malta joins Haiti, the Philippines and South Sudan who also made it to the list.
Malta is the only EU country on this list, which was amended by the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017.
The countries on the list are, which will see local companies being requestd to present enhanced customer due diligence requirements, include Albania, Barbados, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iran, Jamaica, Mauritius, Morocco, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Senegal, Syria, Uganda, Yemen, and Zimbabwe.
Number of positive students sent home
A group of French students, who tested positive for COVID-19 in the past few days have been sent back to France on a medical flight yesterday. A similar group of Spanish students will be sent back today. The flight was chartered by the MTA, according to the Times of Malta.
Covid-19 Update: 166 new cases found yesterday as 25 people recovered. 4,302 swab tests were taken as active cases reached 2487. Of the 199 cases reported the day before, 149 cases were 10-39 year olds. The average age of yesterday’s cases was 28. A total of 17 Covid positive patients are being treated in Mater Dei, one of whom is in the ITU.
CDE News
