Updated 1544 – Attorney General Peter Grech is to resign
Attorney General Peter Grech is set to resign in early September, according to an announcement by the President of the Republic.
Vella said in a brief statement that Peter Grech has tendered his resignation today, but did not provide any explanation. The AG’s resignation will enter into force from 9th September 2020.
Updated 1248 – 72 new case of coronavirus in Malta
A staggering number of cases has been reported this afternoon, with 72 new patients testing positive in the last 24 hours. The daily update issued by the Health Department was very light on details except for saying that contact tracing was taking place.
20 persons have recovered, meaning that 557 cases are active.
Both the doctors’ and the employers’ association issued strong statement blaming misguided and erroneous decisions taken by the government. The MAM also added that all the consequences it had foreseen and publicly warned about are now materializing”.
Updated 0920 – Newspaper Review
The Times speaks to travel agents who said that the decision by the UK to take Malta off the safe list has resulted in a series of cancellations by British holidaymakers. People entering the UK from Malta will have to quarantine for 14 days from today.
The Independent says that the UK is the biggest market for incoming tourism and the decision by the British government to delist Malta from the safe zone was a major blow to the tourism sector.
L-Orizzont quotes Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci who warned against misinformation about the pandemic and appealed to the public to follow only official announcements by the health authorities.
In-Nazzjon reports on a murder attempt in a drug deal gone bad on Thursday night, leaving a 57-year -old in critical condition. A 36-year-old man is helping the Criminal Investigations Department in its investigations.
The Times reports that Yorgen Fenech has joined a group of inmates on a hunger strike after complaining of overcrowding at the Corradino Correctional Facility. Sources told the paper that the businessman is sharing sleeping quarters with six other prisoners.
L-Orizzont carries an announcement by the Correctional Services Agency managing the Corradino prison which said that prisoners staging a hunger strike are being monitored by doctors. Yorgen Fenech is among the inmates protesting against overcrowding.
In-Nazzjon says that prisoners in Division 17 at Corradino Correctional Facility are protesting against the lacking standards of hygiene and air conditioning in the quarters. The paper says that conditions are better in other divisions.
The Independent says that there are 1,200 people currently in quarantine, among them 143 healthcare workers. The number of active Covid-19 decreased from 528 to 505 after 54 recoveries were registered on Friday.
L-Orizzont speaks to General Workers Union secretary general Josef Bugeja who said that talks held with Air Malta over working conditions of the Aviation Services employees were ‘cordial and satisfactory’.
In-Nazzjon says that the traditional celebrations of Santa Marija will be marked in a different way this year because of the pandemic. Archbishop Charles Scicluna will celebrate mass in St Paul’s Co-cathedral in Mdina.
Morning Briefing
Covid-19 in Malta: More countries ban travel to and from Malta
Travel restrictions related to Covid-19 for passengers travelling from Malta remained high on the agenda, with Belgium the latest country to put the island on its red list. The Kingdom placed Malta among “risky countries” on its Foreign Affairs Website. All flights to and from Malta were banned. Belgium followed the source of Malta’s largest flow of tourism, the United Kingdom and Italy to introduce restrictions.
This morning, The Times of Malta in its print edition reports that as a consequence of the decision taken by the UK Government, agents started to immediately receive several cancellation requests, with Iain Tonna, Federated Association of Travel and Tourism Agents (FATTA) president, saying that this “made things worse” for an industry already struggling to cope. The paper sought comments by Tourism Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli on the matter, but no feedback was received.
Meanwhile, the Health Department reported 31 new Covid-19 cases in Malta in the previous 24 hours, following another record 2,135 swab tests carried. There were also 54 recovered cases. 44 of these recoveries were migrant cases. The total number of active cases is 505, among them three persons who currently hospitalised at Mater Dei’s ITU.
Health Superintendent shares concerns about the elderly
In her weekly briefing, Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci expressed her concern and called on vulnerable people to remain vigilant against COVID-19 because of an increase in the number of cases among the elderly. She also revealed that at least 1,200 people were under mandatory quarantine.
Busy Friday for Police
It was also a busy 24 hours for law enforcement. The body of a 43-year-old Austrian woman was recovered from the sea at San Blas Bay in Gozo.
A man was found in a pool of blood late at night in Ta’ Qali, while another was hospitalised with life-threatening injuries following a car accident in St Venera.
CDE News
