Updated 1245
Malta News Dispatch
Covid-19 cases: 94 new cases of coronavirus were reported by health authorities on Monday, while for the first time in weeks, a higher number of recoveries (126) was registered. 3,136 swab tests were taken yesterday. Of the 127 cases reported yesterday, 86 were aged 39 and younger. 39 persons are currently hospitalised, with one person in ITU.
Restrictions might be eased shortly – Fearne: Social restrictions might be eased shortly within a few days, Health Minister Chris Fearne told The Times of Malta, especially if the link between increased vaccinations and less hospitalisations is confirmed. “Countries like us that have vaccinated a lot, are seeing a rising number of new cases in the community, but not of hospital admissions, and especially ICU cases”. One on the restrictions on the cards for easing, according to the Deputy PM, is reducing the quarantine period for vaccinated persons coming into contact with positive cases”.
MCF seeks access to Binance-associated pledge
The Malta Community Chest Fund has filed in the law courts a request for a Malta-based charity called Blockchain Charity Foundation, set up by Binance, to pay up on a pledge it had made to the L-Istrina a few years back. The pledge, made in cryptocurrency, was worth a few hundred euro at the time, but would amount to some €7 million today. The pledges, intended for cancer patients, was made in 2018 at the height of the blockchain island hype. Earlier this month, the MFSA issued a warning against Binance, saying that the company “is not licensed nor authorised by the MFSA to conduct any VFA related activities in or from Malta and therefore falls outside the MFSA’s regulatory oversight.”
Updated 0835 – Newspaper Review
The Independent says that activists are planning to file an appeal against the green-lighting of the City Centre development in Pembroke by the Planning Authority. Moviment Graffitti said that a crowdfunding campaign to launch the legal challenge raised around €20,000.
The Times reports that the Community Chest Fund filed a civil suit to recover donation commitments made in 2018 by a charity set up by cryptocurrency exchange Binance. The value of the original €200,000 pledge has risen to over €7 million since.
L-Orizzont publishes an interview with St Paul’s Bay councillor Carlos Zarb two months after a by-law prohibiting the consumption of alcohol in public spaces was introduced. The councillor, who first proposed the idea, said that residents now feel safer.
In-Nazzjon quotes PN Leader Bernard Grech who affirmed the party’s determination to restore the country’s reputation. Grech said the UK’s decision to classify Malta as a high-risk jurisdiction will impact the entire economy.
The Times speaks to the chairman of the Mental Health Services, Anton Grech, who observed rising anxiety levels among the elderly with the surge in Covid cases. He said that senior citizens fear a return to the isolation experienced in the past months.
In-Nazzjon reports that MEP candidate Peter Agius has been appointed as the main spokesperson of the PN, tasked with transmitting the party’s electoral message to new sectors in the electorate.
The Independent speaks with the president of the Gozo Tourism Authority, Joe Muscat, who expressed confidence that travel between the islands will remain open thanks to the high rate of Covid-19 vaccinations.
L-Orizzont quotes Prime Minister Robert Abela that authorities cannot force anyone to receive the vaccine, acknowledging a ‘small minority’ that refuses to take the Covid-19 jab. He said that the government’s decisions are based on protecting everyone’s health.
In-Nazzjon reproduces parts of an opinion piece by Opposition Leader Bernard Grech published in the Sunday Times this weekend. Grech pledges that a new PN government would take Malta out of the FATF grey-list in its first 90 days.
Morning Briefing
No one will be forced to take vaccine – Abela
No one will be forced to take the Covid-19 vaccine, according to PM Robert Abela. However, the vaccine had value and the Government had to protect the population. Speaking on Sunday, Abela said that only a small minority refused to take the vaccine.
Abela also tackled the economy, expressing his satisfaction that after 16 months of the pandemic, unemployment is at the lowest level in Malta’s history. He said that this contrasts with the initial forecast at the beginning of the pandemic that 50,000 jobs will be lost.
Anything to restore Malta’s reputation – Grech
PN leader Bernard Grech said that the Nationalist Party will everything necessary to restore the name of our country to the glory it deserves because it believes in its people. Grech said that this contrasts to Prime Minister Robert Abela who already seems discouraged when he said that we have a year and a half to get out of the FATF greylist.Bernard Grech said that, on the contrary, a new Nationalist Government will manage to put our country on the whitelist in three months because the Nationalist Party has a good relationship with international and European entities. He reiterated his concern that now even the United Kingdom has given a certificate of no confidence to our country when it began to be considered a high risk regarding money laundering.
Covid-19 update
127 new cases of Covid-19 were reported on Sunday, while 109 recovered. Active cases stand at 2,294. The number of persons presently being treated at Mater Dei Hospital for Covid-19 has gone up to 34.
CDE News
