Updated 1255
Two new coronavirus cases were registered in the past 24 hours. The Health Ministry said that with 13 new recoveries, the number of active cases has gone down to 22.
877 tests were carried out yesterday, for a total of 74,469.
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A relatively quiet Friday afternoon on the media cycle was up-ended with the late evening announcement by Airmalta that it had decided to lay off half of its pilots insisting that the union representing the latter (ALPA) had failed to cooperate.
In a statement, the national airline pointed its fingers at the Union’s intransigence, saying that it had requested a retirement scheme averaging 700,000 euro, for a total of 73 million. In this situation, it had no other option, it said, but to make 69 pilots redundant.
Talks between the airline and the union have been ongoing for many weeks in an attempt to find a middleground that would not result in any loss of jobs.
Minister Silvio Schembri said that ALPA’s requests were unreasonable at this time of crisis and at the same time thanked other unions for accepting the necessary changes in their collective agreements to safeguard their employment as well as the future of the company.
On Facebook, the Economy Ministry said that Air Malta will continue to operate and to provide the necessary connectivity that the country requires.
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Yesterday was also the first day where a number of outlets were allowed to re-open including gyms, cinemas and bars. Three new cases of coronavirus were registered in the past 24 hours, identified from 970 swab tests. With seven persons recovering, the number of new cases has gone down again, to 33. According to the Health Ministry, from a total of 625 infected persons, 583 persons have now recovered.
A number of trade bodies continued to highlight the challenges being faced by industry requesting additional support in Monday’s mini-budget. These concerns were confirmed in an in-depth report by the Central Bank of Malta that forecasted an increase in unemployment as the economy struggles to recapture the pre-Covid-19 momentum.
CDE News
