Updated 0822 – Newspaper Review
The Independent says that three cases of the UK-variant of the Covid-19 virus have been detected by health authorities. Health Minister Chris Fearne said that the infected people are in isolation and their close contacts are in quarantine.
The Times reports that two of the three cases of the new Covid-19 strain announced on Wednesday were linked to people travelling from the UK. Authorities are still investigating the third case.
L-Orizzont quotes Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci who said that authorities have been tracing people arriving from the UK since December 13, requesting them to be tested for Covid-19 following the discovery of the new virus variant.
In-Nazzjon claims that the Labour Party leadership considers the possible election of Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando in a casual election for a seat in the House as ‘dangerous’ to the government. The former PN MP received 1,040 votes in the 2017 election on the PL ticket.
The Times says that PL sources have expressed concern over the possible parliamentary election of either former Rabat mayor Charles Azzopardi or former PN MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, both contesting the by-election to fill the seat vacated by Edward Scicluna.
The Independent speaks to Gozo Tourism Association president Joseph Muscat who said that, while there was a surge in domestic tourism over the festive period, it does not make up for the effects of the pandemic on the tourism sector in Gozo.
L-Orizzont speaks to the Charge Nurse at the Agency for Corrective Services, Carol Ann Delia, who said that there are currently no active cases of Covid-19 among prison inmates or staff. The management is conducting rapid testing to contain any possible spread.
In-Nazzjon quotes the Opposition spokesperson for citizenship Karol Aquilina who said that a legal notice issued over Christmas will allow the government to keep secret the identity of persons who acquire the Maltese passports.
Morning Briefing
Council defends tombola party leading to Covid-cases
San Ġwann mayor Trevor Fenech has defended the council after it transpired that some 70 elderly persons ended up in quarantine after an event organised by the same council. Eight elderly persons contracted Covid-19 from the event, a tombola party. The event, held on December 17, was organised by the San Ġwann local council as a social event for the town’s elderly community.
They mayor said that the Council respected all protocols, including that no more than six people were sat at the same table, temperatures were taken and sanitiser was used. Fenech said he had not personally spoken to the health authorities before or after the event, but said deputy mayor Anthony Mifsud Bonnici Giordani had been contacted by a doctor working on the public health emergency.
“The easiest thing would be to do nothing for the elderly in our community, but we wanted to do something for them,” Fenech told The Times of Malta.
New Covid-19 strain found in Malta
The Deputy PM Chris Fearne has announced on Twitter that the new strain of Covid-19 has been detected in Malta. Dr Fearne said that the cases are isolated and all those in contact with the infected persons are in mandatory quarantine. The new strain appeared for the first time in the UK and is known to be more contagious.Malta has registered its first cases of the UK-variant of Covid-19, Health Minister Chris Fearne announced on Wednesday morning, with Public Health Supertindent Charmaine Gauci confirming that three people had been found to have the variant.
In a tweet, Fearne said that the cases are isolated and their contacts have been quarantined. This particular variant of the virus was first identified in the United Kingdom, but it has been detected in a number of European countries such as France and Denmark. As of Wednesday, Malta has 1,392 active cases of Covid-19.
Govt to remove secrecy clause in passport scheme
Government has announced the removal of a controversial rule that allows the home affairs minister the power not to publish names of wealthy passport buyers for “security reasons”. This decision came 24 hours after the legal notice giving Byron Camilleri “absolute discretion” on naming passport buyers was revealed raising significant transparency concerns.
Parliamentary secretary Alex Muscat said the clause had been designed for “very extraordinary circumstances” but would be removed as “another sign of transparency”. In a reaction, the Opposition said the legal notice will be amended by the government only because it had been found out.
The shadow minister for good governance, Karol Aquilina, said the names of the new Malta passport holders would still remain hidden, in that they would be carried within a long list of names of people who acquired Maltese citizenship by other means, such as naturalisation and marriage.
CDE News
