Live Update: Covid-19 Bulletin Malta – Monday 13th April 2020
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Updated 1237
Six new cases, including three Maltese who were reporting to work
In her daily briefing, Health Superintendent Prof Gauci announced that 1,008 swabs were carried out on Easter Sunday resulting in six new positive cases, taking the total to 384.
The cases concern:
a Norwegian woman who lives in Malta who first experienced coughing. It is understood that the woman was currently teleworking and the case was therefore contained.
a man from Nepal who works in Malta who first experiencing coughing and symptoms. He lives together with other nine people and they are all being test.
an immigrant from Morocco who lives in the Hal Far village who was identified from the swabbing taken last Saturday at the centre.
The other cases include three Maltese men, who had been reporting to work. The necessary contact tracing of colleagues and family members is taking place, resulting in a number of colleagues being placed in quarantine.
She also confirmed “a number of cases” at ST Microelectronics.
Prof Gauci reiterated that Malta is still “at an early stage of the pandemic” given that there are a number of cases where the original local source of the virus has not been source.
Referring to the scores of people who yesterday challenged the authorities’ directives and enjoyed outdoor activities on Easter Sunday she once again appealed for the public’s support in combating the pandemic without the need for further measures of increased fines. On this subject, six local councils have asked Government to close off popular beaches. Mario Fava, president of the Local Councils Association, raised the issue with the authorities.
Questioned about whether any projections on a return to normality are being established, Prof Gauci explained as long that as Malta maintained an R factor (i.e. the number of new cases resulting from a previous case), the authorities would consider the pandemic as under control.
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Malta’s Easter Sunday was dominated by the news of the decision taken by Government to close off Maltese ports, on the same day that a number of persons are believed to have died following the wreck of a barge between Malta and Tripoli.
The Prime Minister insisted that this decision was not a racial one, but from the necessity to focus all the country’s resources against Covid-19. Spain and Italy closed their ports a few days before the Maltese decision was taken. The Maltese Government insisted that the European Union needs to ensure that people traffickers do not take advantage of the instable situation in Libya, and not to let them continue with their business of sending more people to Malta.
The Opposition retorted that “to let even one baby or child in danger means we have lost our identity as a people.”
Sunday, fun day
As the total number of COVID-19 cases in Malta rose to just two short of 380, the appeals for social distancing and avoidance of unnecessary outings were once again ignored by scores of persons, with a number of photos doing the rounds on social media particularly on Malta’s popular beaches. According to the Department of Information, no less than104 persons were each fined €100 during the continuous rounds Police are conducting to ensure there are no gatherings involving more than 3 persons in public places, as per the legal notice issued by Government.
On Easter Day, no one was found breaching obligatory quarantine during any of the 230 inspections that were carried out in the last 24 hours. Yesterday, during inspections on establishments, a snack bar in Ħamrun was caught open serving clients in breach of regulations and was fined €3000.
