Update 1245 – News Update
Covid-19 Update: 75th death reported
Another person died from Covid-19 today, Health authorities said, as they announced the passing away of a 92-year old this morning. The man becomes Malta’s 75h victim.
Meanwhile, 146 new cases were identified in the past 24 hours, taking the country’s total to 7,039. There were in total 168 recoveries, thereby reducing the active case tally. A round milestone of 5,000 recovered persons was reached today.
PN leader to contest 5th and 11th districts
Opposition and Nationalist Party Leader Bernard Grech will be contesting his first general election on the 5th and 11th electoral districts. The fifth district covers Birzebbuga, Kirkop, Mqabba, Hal Farrug (Hal Luqa), Qrendi, Safi and Bubaqra (Zurrieq). The 11th district includes Mdina, Attard, Mosta and Burmarrad (St Paul’s Bay).
The PN also approved a number of other candidates, among them criminal lawyer Joe Giglio, Graham Bencini, President of the PN Professional Forum as well as Angela Coleiro, the first ever trans woman to contest the general election.
Former Judge to investigate alleged journalist bribe attempt
Former Chief Justice and retired ECHR judge, Vincent de Gaetano, will be leading an investigation in two criminal lawyers over what has been described as an alleged attempt to bribe a Times of Malta journalist.
Lawyers Gianluca Caruana Curran and Charles Mercieca attempted to hand over a number of €500 notes to journalist Ivan Martin. The two lawyers are are representing ex-Tumas CEO Yorgen Fenech, who is accused of conspiring to murder journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017. Martin claims to have refused the offer while the lawyers insist that the journalist had himself indicated that he could be of support to their cause.
UPDATED 0833 Newspaper Review
The Independent follows the testimony by Parliamentary Secretary Alex Muscat in the Caruana Galizia public inquiry. Muscat defended his decision to do consultancy work for Nexia BT when he was deputy chief of staff to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.
In-Nazzjon quotes PN Leader Bernard Grech who said that no compromise should be made with healthcare. Grech accused the government of ignoring the advice of health authorities in its management of the pandemic.
L-Orizzont speaks to the General Workers Union secretary for disciplined forces, Theo Vella, who said that the new collective agreement between the government and the Armed Forces will serve justice to AFM soldiers.
The Times leads with the latest results from the US presidential election as Democrat Joe Biden overtakes incumbent Republican Donald Trump in key states. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, said the votes give Biden a ‘strong mandate’.
The Independent says that active Covid-19 cases are now 12 shy of 2,000 after 167 cases were registered on Friday. Meanwhile, three patients died between Thursday and Friday, raising the number of coronavirus victims to 74.
In-Nazzjon reports that there are currently 176 Covid-19 patients receiving treatment in hospital, 14 of whom are in intensive care while another 11 are in the Infectious Diseases Unit. The average age of new cases this week was 44.
L-Orizzont reports that Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she will seek to help a Scottish woman who has been ordered by a court to return to Malta, after she allegedly left the island with her child without the consent of his Maltese father.
Morning Briefing
Covid-19 Update – Clusters at homes for the elderly re-ignite with cases
The number of Covid-19 active cases and deaths continued to increase throughout Friday, with a 59-year old man becoming the latest victim, with a death count that has now seen 74 people perish after infection by coronavirus.
Health authorities reported a total of 129 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, while 67 patients recovered. This means Malta is currently just 12 cases short of 2,000 active infections.
Almost 90 new COVID-19 cases detected this week are of elderly residents at three care homes, Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci said during her weekly press conference. She added that 85 patients have been moved to a new facility in St Paul’s Bay, named the Good Samaritan, which has been specially set up to care for care home residents who contract the virus.
The three homes are Dar Pinto – where 51 residents and 14 staff have tested positive, the Golden Care Home – where 21 residents and 15 staff have tested positive, and the Zammit Clapp home – where 13 residents and 4 members of staff have tested positive.
Within this context, thirteen professional medical associations have proposed the reintroduction of further restrictive measures to fight COVID-19.
Opposition Leader expresses anger at increase in deaths
Speaking in Parliament yesterday afternoon, Opposition leader Bernard Grech said he was “angry” that Malta continues to register COVID-19 deaths, adding that the government should be doing more to address this “tragedy”.
Grech insisted that the health and lives of people should never be compromised at the expense of the economy in our country.
He added that we should never belittle the deaths caused by Covid-19 by blaming their deaths on any underlying conditions they may have. “We are in a country where we should put the money where it is needed in order to make sure that each and every one of us is given the best possible care in our hospitals, in an manner which does not discriminate, no matter where the person comes from and regardless of the contacts the person has.”
Man arraigned after threatening Police
TVM reports that Srdjan Stevanovic, a 38-year-old Serb, was arraigned in Court under arrest this afternoon after last Sunday he threatened Police with a firearm and locked himself in his residence.
Stevanovic, who was known to the Police, had to be physically forced after six hours of negotiations failed. Found in his residence were a number of weapons including a rifle and a charged pistol.
CDE News
