Workers aged over 65 who have been asked to stay home under coronavirus containment measures, have been completely excluded from receiving the €800 a month government aid, the Nationalist Party’ has said.

The PN's pensioners's arm Assoċjazzjoni Pensjonanti Partit Nazzjonalista (APAN) said on Friday that the government assistance was inadequate and discriminatory as thousands of people have been left out.

These included a substantial number of pensioners who continue to work beyond retirement, paying taxes on their earnings. But these were completely left out of government aid, it said.

Labelling the situation "ugly and dangerous discrimination" APAN said it showed that the government considered the work of pensioners a concession and not a right.

It added that the government's excuse for this injustice was that the pensioners who remained in employment also received a pension. But they had paid for this throughout their life and they opted to continue working because they could not keep up with the rising cost of living, APAN said.

It appealed to the government to remedy the situation.