A long-term vision for Gozo
In his Talking Point (March 11), Revel Barker raises the possibility of vaccinating the entire population of Gozo against COVID within a period of three days, presumably in order to achieve immediate herd immunity on Malta’s sister island.
In the unlikely event that such a policy ever saw the light of day, it would only induce claims of selfishness culminating in long-term resentment towards the indigenous population.
The battle against COVID is proving long and hard, however, none of us are safe until all of us are safe and we are quite literally all in this together.
My wife and I have visited Gozo almost every month for the past 20 years and the allure has been the feeling that while Gozo is a part of the Maltese archipelago it manages to remain apart and, therefore, perfect for a short break away from the hustle and bustle of Malta.
Gozitans with a long-term vision for their island would do well to protect the stunning rural vistas which draw people like myself to the charming island. We increasingly find the landscape scarred by monstrous carbuncles of concrete akin to scrofulous acne on a teenager’s face; fields demarcated by discarded wooden pallets and rusting oil drums; signs warning us in a less than charming manner to ‘keep out’ often without a valid reason being stated.
COVID will pass. Gozo needs to position itself for the tourist boom which will surely follow.
Jonathan Chard Deeley – Sliema
Staying safe
Further to Janet Wojtkow’s letter ‘Queuing to stay safe’ (March 12), I write to support her comments and suggestions. I expect there are lots of people on furlough and with time on their hands who would be more than willing to assist. My wife and I had the same experience as Wojtkow, in and out in less than 10 minutes, including the five-minute pause before leaving.
A Times of Malta photo showed people crowded together as if they were waiting on a bus stop at Mellieħa Bay. The Maltese are not used to queuing, rather, they instinctively bunch up and want to jump to the front. You need marshals to keep them in check and control the queuing. A few days ago, Westminster Abbey was opened up for vaccinations, with past kings and queens and other great statesmen and poets looking on!
Why not open up St John’s Co-Cathedral and similar venues to hasten the vaccine? It’s huge and central.
I suppose there are pros and cons on who gets jabbed first and different countries have different needs. The logic is that the older and more vulnerable get done first because young people are unlikely or very much less likely to be hit badly by the virus and, if they are, the effects are virtually non-existent. I can understand why some sectors of employment are given priority. Unfortunately, Malta’s economy is wholly dependent on the service/hospitality sector and the economy will collapse if this doesn’t kick-start soon.
With the unprecedented success of our vaccination programme in the UK, there are millions of Brits ‘chomping at the bit’ and waiting to fly anywhere, with Malta being top of their list. I’m booked with my whole family first week in June, although I’m not holding my breath.
So, please, get more vaccines into arms and get a bit more organised as the correspondent with whom I concur has suggested. And, please, don’t descend into the old habits (as was intimated earlier last week by a reader) of indulging in nepotism and cronyism as to who gets the jab, corrupt habits which I remember were rife at the time I left Malta in the 1970s.
Stay safe, good luck and God bless.
Paul Brincau – Uxbridge, UK
Mask wearing in public
My husband and I have just returned from our daily walk along the Strand, Sliema.
After seeing so many people walking past us eating, drinking, jogging, smoking, with masks under their chin or nose uncovered, we decided that it is no longer safe for us, vulnerable adults, to take our daily exercise.
Carmen McCarthy – Ta’ Xbiex
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