Restaurants, cafes and gyms have collectively breathed a sigh of relief that vaccination certificates will not be needed for entry to their establishments as from next month.  

But operators in other sectors, including the 'night' industry and sports, have complained of being left in the dark.

From February 7, vaccination certificates will not be needed for entry to restaurants, snack bars and social clubs. The following week, certificates will also not be needed for entry to bars, gyms, spas, pools, cinemas and theatres. 

Restaurants and café owners in Sliema and St. Julian’s who spoke to Times of Malta all welcomed the decision, describing it as a step in the right direction.   

Some called the move ‘predictable’, especially after the backlash the measure received from the catering industry and many ordinary people when it was introduced last month.

The managing director of popular outlets Rabbit Hole, Crafty Cat and The Hatter, Shane O’Dwyer said he knew the measures would ‘not go down very well’ and the ease was therefore ‘predictable’. 

“It was poorly executed as we only had two days’ notice to get things prepared and to get all the equipment we needed to scan the certificates,” O’Dwyer said. 

“We received a lot of negative backlash from customers about being discriminatory. I have no problem with asking for vaccination certificates, but once you include the booster it all gets very complicated and you end up spending a lot of time checking different certificates and exception letters.”

He said that there was still a ‘grey area’ in view of the distinction in the new rules between bars or restaurants.

When asked if he had seen a dip in customers during the past few weeks, he said it was difficult to tell since January was always quiet. 

“Having said that, many of our regulars were not sure what the regulations are. Really we just hope for a proper COVID-19 exit roadmap. Will we be allowed to celebrate St. Patrick’s day for example? Can we have people ordering at the bar and singing karaoke? That is what I want to know.”

Muhannad Shembesh, director of Sliema café Segafredo said staff were shocked at the number of clients they had to turn away during the past two weeks since the vaccine certificate became an entry requirement.

 “We are glad the need for the vaccine certificate will be scrapped, as business has been down for the past few weeks,” he said. 

Romario Camilleri, who along with his parents, runs Bistro Thirteen on Sliema front also said he lost a number of regulars since the introduction of the vaccine certificate requirement.

“I had regulars who we haven’t seen for the past two weeks because they refused to take the booster. For us this means less work, but we still need to pay our employees and our rent. Removing the measure means we can have these clients back and recover. 

No inspections

All owners said that no one turned up to check that they were following the vaccination rules. 

Establishments which allow unvaccinated customers in their premises are liable for a fine of €500. 

Irma, a manager at Chalet Terrace said she agreed but also disagreed with the removal of the vaccine certificate so soon.

“I feel it’s unfair because many people rushed to get boosted so that they could go to a restaurant or the gym. Also many people did it so as not to lose their jobs. At the same time, I am in favour of the booster, and all of the staff here are vaccinated, as I agree that since we work so close to people we should be protected.”

‘Logistical nightmare’

Eden group general manager Kevin De Cesare said he was glad the restrictions will be eased.

Speaking about the situation at the popular gym, Cynergy, he said most clients were vaccinated and had the booster jab but the company still faced some backlash from COVID-19 skeptics.

“Although most of the clients had the right vaccination certificate, It was still a logistical nightmare for our employees initially. We finally just got the hang of it, but at the same time we are glad that we are moving forward.”

‘Night economy is still in the dark’

The head of the tourism section within the Chamber of SMEs, Philip Fenech, welcomed the easing of restrictions but said the Maltese ‘night economy’ had been left in the dark. 

"Late night bars, social events and their supply chains are still left in the dark as there has been no mention whatsoever about the lifting of the curfew," he said.   

Establishments currently have to close by 1pm.  

“These business owners need to know what the plan forward is so as to plan large-scale events. Events take months to plan,” Fenech said. 

‘Treat the situation as an epidemic not a pandemic’

Tony Zahra, president of the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, said the announcement was a step in the right direction and was in line with what was expected. 

“Now, we need to take bolder steps, and to start lifting all the other restrictions. We need to start treating the situation as an epidemic, not a pandemic,” Zahra said.

The Association for Catering establishments (ACE) also praised the removal of the vaccination certificate. 

‘Stop discriminating against our audience and businesses’

On the other hand, members of the entertainment industry said they were disappointed at the announcement, which, they said, was discriminatory in that it did not mention their sector.  

The Malta Entertainments Industry and Arts Association said that such measures should be eased ‘across all sectors’.

“The entertainment sector, specifically operators of events and clubs have borne the brunt since the pandemic broke out, and most are still unable to operate. We cannot accept a situation which is discriminatory once again to an integral part of our industry.”

Their pleas were echoed by singer and songwriter Ira Losco, who said she was ‘very disappointed’ that the vaccine certificate would still remain an entry requirement for music and sporting events. 

“Very disappointed that music and sport as always will be suffering the injustice of not having equal measures as some other sectors. I would like to ask why?” she said on social media.

“The reason and logic (or lack of) behind it will always baffle me.”