Large international festivals planned for Malta are “foolhardy” and risk the lives of the vulnerable including 40,000 people with diabetes, the International Diabetics Federation has warned.

The global umbrella organization, which represents hundreds of national diabetes groups, urged the government to cancel mass gatherings planned for August and September.

It is the latest group – joining doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health professionals – to put pressure on authorities amid an increase of cases linked to large groups of people.

People with diabetes are among the most vulnerable to COVID-19.

In a letter to Chris Delicata, president of the Maltese Diabetes, IDF president Andrew Boulton expressed his “serious concerns” about events such as the major BPM music festival. 

“This decision is extremely foolhardy from a public heath perspective and will put lives, particularly the lives of vulnerable groups, including the estimated 40,000 people living with diabetes in Malta, at risk,” he wrote.

“IDF strongly urges the Maltese government to take action to prevent these events from taking place.” 

Health Minister Chris Fearne on Thursday announced restrictions on mass events but doctors said they were “too little too late” and industrial action they warned about on Wednesday would still go ahead.

Boulton said that evidence indicates that up to half of people who have contracted COVID-19 had diabetes and, in a number of countries, over a quarter of all deaths related to COVID-19 have occurred in people with the condition.

“It is critical for governments to recognise that people with diabetes can be more vulnerable to COVID-19 and put the right measures in place to limit the possibility of people with diabetes contracting the virus,” the federation said.

Prime Minister Robert Abela and the festival organisers have yet to comment on the issue. Tourism Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli said it was important to “strike a balance” to ensure economic recovery would not be hamstrung.