Updated 1255 – No new Covid cases
For the third time in the past ten days, no new Covid cases were reported. Health authorities said 1,526 swab tests were conducted over the past 24 hours. With three more persons recovering, the number of active cases has gone down to 51.
Updated – 1030 – Israel added to amber list
Israel and the majority of US states have been added to Malta’s amber list, meaning that persons arriving in Malta from there will not have to quarantine. Travelers would still have to present a negative PCR swab test, taken no more than 72 hours before arriving in the country or, in the case of Maltese travelers, a vaccine certificate.
Newspaper Review
The Times quotes study results by Transparency International which found that a third of people in Malta have leaned on their personal connections to access public services such as social welfare benefits, resolve issues with the police, and enter a public school.
The Independent reports that Health Minister Chris Fearne defended the presence of several Cabinet ministers who were seen at the Żebbuġ parish feast last weekend. He said that they have all observed the established Covid-19 protocols.
In-Nazzjon quotes PN spokesperson for Energy Ryan Callus who said that supply from the interconnector with Sicily fell by more than half since 2015. Last year, just over a fifth of Malta’s energy total consumption came from the interconnector.
L-Orizzont publishes an interview with a woman who braved a raging pandemic in India to accompany her adopted son to Malta. The 43-year-old said that she was in contact with the child for a long time and loved him before she first met him in person.
The Independent quotes European Court of Auditors member Leo Brincat who warned about ‘operational shortcomings’ in the EU border control agency Frontex. Brincat said that the role of the agency is set to grow in the next years.
L-Orizzont speaks with Commissioner for the Elderly Mary Vella who said that abuse on the elderly is a growing problem, both in terms of incidence and complexity. Dr Vella said that awareness is important to encourage more victims to seek help.
The Times reports increasing cases of domestic violence against elderly people. Many of the 200 complaints filed with the police last year involved claims of psychological abuse including fear and theft.
In-Nazzjon speaks with unnamed employees at the Public Broadcasting Services who said that the company is being given orders by Castille and omitting any criticism levelled against the government in its reporting.
Morning Briefing
Lifting of measures has to be cautious: Fearne
“The lifting of COVID-19 measures needed to be gradual, cautious and well-studied”, Health Minister Chris Fearne said in Parliament on Monday afternoon. The DPM said that Malta was at a disadvantage, since it cannot see what happened in other countries, being a world leader in vaccine rollout. Fearne said the only country that was close to Malta in terms of the vaccination programme was the UK, but one could see how the Delta variant was causing problems, with a rapid rise of new cases in some areas. He was addressing the House during a parliamentary debate on the Health and Safety Authority’s financials for 2021.
“I know people are fed up, I know people want to get out of this reality, but we cannot risk losing everything when we are so close to the end,” Fearne appealed, in what was likely a reaction to criticsm from people in the entertainment, arts and culture sectors for lifting restrictions on open-air events but limiting the number of participants to 100 and gradually gowing up to 200.
Fenech Adami did not breach Yorgen Fenech’s rights – Court
A Court of Law ruled that comments by PN MP Beppe Fenech Adami has not breached Yorgen Fenech right to the presumption of innocence. The MP associated the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia to the Electrogas project. The MP had claimed that Caruana Galizia was murdered because of corruption in the Electrogas agreement. Magistrate Rachel Montebello ruled that the MP did not implicate Fenech in the murder when he had addressed the Public Accounts Committee, while at the time was grilling Electrogas shareholder Paul Apap Bologna. However the Magistrate warned the MP to be more careful before making political comments during such meetings.
Covid-19: Active cases declined to 54 as six persons recovered on Monday, with just one new positive case identified. 1,021 swab tests were carried out on Sunday. By today, it is expected that 60 per cent of the adult population will have been fully vaccinated. A total of 72 per cent have received a first vaccination dose so far.
CDE News
