Updated 1235 – 119 new cases of coronavirus
Health authorities reported 119 new COVID-19 cases today. The new cases were detected from just 2,571 swab tests. Both the number of positive cases and tests are the lowest for the past three weeks.
Malta registered two more victims, taking the country’s COVID-19 death toll to 250. The two victims were an 89-year-old woman and a 77-year-old man.
Updated 1200 – Prof Gauci receives anti-Covid jab
Superintendent of Public Health Professor Charmaine Gauci received her first dose of the anti-coronavirus vaccine this morning.
Updated 1000 – Police inspector arrested after alleged leaks to Yorgen Fenech’s team
A police inspector has been suspended after allegedly leaking confidential information to Yorgen Fenech’s defence team.
Timesofmalta.com revealed that Inspector Elton Taliana was held for around 13 hours earlier this month after the police received information that he may have leaked details of an ongoing investigation into convicted fraudster Julian Hofstra, 21.
The Dutch national has recently been linked to alleged secret recordings in connection with the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder case.
Updated 0900 – Newspaper Review
The Independent says that a bill to regulate the construction sector proposes fines up to €500,000 on operators that breach rules. The bill also envisages the setting up of a Building and Construction Authority.
L-Orizzont publishes an interview with Samantha Pace Gasan, the newly appointed Commissioner for Persons with Disability. She said her first priority is the mainstreaming of inclusivity and accessibility.
The Times reports that inspector Elton Taliana has been suspended over suspicions that he may have leaked information about ongoing police investigations to lawyer Charles Mercieca, one of Yorgen Fenech legal representatives.
In-Nazzjon quotes PN Leader Bernard Grech who said that, while tourism remains the biggest sector in Malta, it needs to be transformed to offer a top product that attracts higher quality tourism.
L-Orizzont quotes research findings by Stanford University which found that extended lockdowns by governments have not had a substantial effect on the containment of the Covid-19 virus.
The Independent says that the police have received 1,416 reports of domestic violence between March and December last year, indicating a rise in cases since the outbreak of the coronavirus.
The Times says that health authorities are set to introduce new rules regulating the use of Covid-19 rapid testing and the reporting of positive results. Recent reports have shown that private clinics are not registering tests that return positive.
In-Nazzjon reports that three Covid-19 patients died in the last 24 hours aged 92, 93, and 100, raising the number of total virus fatalities to 248. There are currently over 2,700 active cases with 143 new infections registered on Friday.
L-Orizzont says that 90 percent of the electoral promises in the social sector have been implemented by the government. Family Minster Michael Falzon said that the Labour Party programme set out 34 measures for the sector in the last election.
Morning Briefing
Covid-peak decreasing, says Prof Gauci
A peak in COVID cases registered earlier this month is decreasing, Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci said during her weekly briefing. Gauci said the vaccination roll-out was proceeding well, with elderly people who are housebound set to start receiving the jab next week.
16,531 doses have been administered, including 616 second doses.
Gauci’s comments followed a stark warning by the Medical Association, who called for a weekend curfew in view of the increasing number of patients requiring hospitalisation.
Health authorities reported 143 new cases of coronavirus, with 201 recoveries. These were identified through 3,111 swab tests. The current case tally now stands at 2,740.
The daily report also noted three further deaths, all women, aged 92, 93 and 100 respectively, meaning 248 persons have now died since the onset of the coronavirus after being infected by Covid-19.
MHRA says proposed curfew is draconian, SME Chamber ‘abstains’
The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association took a tough stand against proposals for a curfew, saying authorities should be targeting self-catering units such as farmhouses to combat the spread of COVID-19 rather then opt for a curfew. If enforcement is adequately applied, curfews are “draconian, unnecessary, and counterproductive”, it said in a statement.
On the other hand, the Deputy President of the Chamber of SMEs Philip Fenech has said that it is up to health authorities to decide on whether to impose further restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19.
“COVID-19 can be contracted in offices, on bus stops and in a number of different situations, not just during the weekend,” he said.
Government to extend NGO support
Government is further extending its financial support for voluntary organisations because of Covid by €1.1 million. Finance Minister Clyde Caruana said that since June of last year the Government has thus provided €4.1 million in aid to voluntary organisations.
Minister Caruana said that through its plan for economic regeneration, in June, 140 voluntary organisations benefited by €3 million and 937 jobs were saved.
According to the CEO of the Malta Council for Voluntary Organisations, Mauro Pace Parascandolo, the voluntary sector employs 5,500 persons either full-time or on a part-time basis. He said that many organisations were considering stopping providing their services, mainly to the most vulnerable in the social sector because the pandemic was proving to be a great drawback.
CDE News
