Malta’s business lobby has urged people to act responsibly and respect social distancing regulations, warning that a failure to do so could lead to restrictive measures that could hurt the nation’s economy.
In a call for discipline and enforcement, the Malta Chamber said it expected its members and the public at large to do its bit in ensuring COVID-19 infections are kept in check.
“Now is not the time to become complacent. The roll-out of the vaccine should not be a reason for us to let down our guard,” the lobby group said. “Further restrictive measures would be detrimental to our economy, which is facing one of its biggest challenges yet.”
Malta has seen infection rates rise in recent weeks, with the country averaging more than 200 cases a day over the past seven days – a first since the pandemic began.
Health Minister Chris Fearne has said that the spike is in part due to people not respecting social distancing rules, with contact tracing teams linking many new cases to social or family gatherings.
Fearne also pointed to the spread of a more infectious UK variant of the virus and greater use of rapid tests as potential factors in the increased caseload.
The rising number of cases has prompted doctors to call for more careful management of pandemic restrictions and warn that intensive care hospital facilities are rapidly filling up.
Doctors were also critical of plans to ease restrictions in care homes for the elderly where vaccination drives have been completed, as well as plans to extend restaurant opening hours to midnight.
In its statement on Saturday, the Malta Chamber noted that Malta had been able to get by without the restrictive lockdowns many other countries had gone through.
It reminded its members that it is crucial for them to strictly observe mitigation measures within workplaces and offer teleworking arrangements “wherever possible”.
“Only those workers who have no other option but to work on site should be asked to do so. Any social gatherings should be avoided, both in the workplace and beyond,” it said.