Malta's inability to make it to the UK's green list of safe travel destinations was a result of the government failing to take decisions earlier in the year, Opposition leader Bernard Grech said on Sunday.
Speaking on the Nationalist Party's NET TV, Grech said the Opposition was "not happy" with the decision as it understands the importance of tourists travelling to the island.
But Grech was quick to place the blame on the government, saying that the UK left Malta out of its quarantine-free travel list because of "wrong decisions taken months ago".
"When the numbers were high, we had called for action. Had the government taken decisions and listened to our pleas earlier, we would have reduced numbers earlier and so we would have also been able to promote Malta as a safe destination earlier," Grech said.
On Thursday, the UK government announced it would not be adding any countries to its green list, a decision that came as a blow to Malta's tourism sector since the island relies heavily on British tourists.
Malta had also failed to make the cut when the UK first unveiled its safe travel lists earlier in May.
Grech went on to urge the authorities to ensure screening at the port and airport continues, even if the number of tourists increases in the coming weeks.
"There are reports that the airport is already overwhelmed, but the solution isn’t that we don’t check travellers but that we plan ahead and improve operations," Grech said.
Survey results: Declining virus cases yielding feel-good factor
On the PN's abysmal performance in a MaltaToday survey published on Sunday, Grech said that the result could be due to the number of COVID-19 cases going down in recent weeks.
"The survey continues to show we need more changes. But surveys are a snapshot of the day and they should be looked at as just that.
"There is a certain feel-good factor because the island is recovering from the pandemic. But my promise to make this party bigger and stronger by listening to what people are saying still stands," the PN leader said.
According to the survey, support for the Labour Party has continued to grow, with the gap between the two parties widening further.
Mental health needs to be safeguarded
Moving on to other issues, Grech said mental health needs to be a priority, especially as the island starts to move on from the pandemic.
Acknowledging the pandemic "impacted a lot of people", Grech said that moving forward people's mental health should no longer be simply associated with an isolated condition.
"We need to start protecting mental health from a young age and so even at school, these issues need to be properly addressed," he said.