The entertainment and arts industry is dismayed at the "flagrant disregard" to COVID-19 rules during the SiGMA Summit held this week.
Already postponed twice, SiGMA's European summit was originally planned to be held in November 2020, and was then moved to February.
The summit is a gaming show bringing together operators, suppliers and affiliates to meet and discuss the way forward.
Postage and footage posted on the summit's Facebook page show people going around in crowds without a facemask and not keeping a social distance.
On Wednesday evening, police shut down a 'SiGMA Night' party featuring singer Akon for breaching COVID-19 regulations.
Attendees of the summit told Times of Malta that organisers did not check if they were in possession of a valid COVID-19 vaccine certificate. They said they did not have their temperature checked at the entrance.
Malta Entertainment and Arts Association president Howard Keith Debono said on Friday his association had fought very hard to get the necessary concessions from the health authorities to make sure the summit takes place.
"We are enraged at what is happening and distance ourselves from it... It is completely unacceptable," he told Times of Malta.
“Protocols have to be abided by. It is unfair that people must suffer because others are not abiding by the rules,” Debono said.
‘Why the double standards?’
The summit was also criticised by the director of publishing at Merlin Publishers Chris Gruppetta who hit out the "double standards" used by health authorities and the lack of restrictions at the summit.
On a Facebook post, Gruppetta pointed out that many COVID-19 restrictions had been imposed on the Book Festival, no restrictions were in place at the Summit, held at the same venue just a week later.
Screengrab of Chris Gruppetta's Facebook post. Source: Facebook/Chris Gruppetta“While at the book festival we were explicitly and repeatedly prohibited from having any 'on-stand' events, we could see SiGMA with microphones, events and strippers,” he told Times of Malta.
Attendees at the Book Festival, except children, had to be in possession of a valid COVID-19 vaccination certificate and had to wear a mask at all times. Attendees had to pre-register for all events. Gruppetta said.
‘The event followed strict procedures’ - SiGMA organisers
But in spite of the photos and the criticism, SiGMA organisers insist the event followed "strict procedures" and said security personnel were stationed at various spots to encourage mask-wearing indoors.
“Around 4,000 delegates were not allowed to fly to Malta for the conference because they come from 'dark red zones' or because they did not have the Malta-approved vaccination certificate,” the organisers told Times of Malta.
They said that a second venue was set up to ensure a better flow of people, corridors between exhibitors were widened, 10,000 hand sanitisers were distributed for free throughout the conference and maskless delegates were given a mask during registration.
Anyone seen not wearing a mask was also asked to do so by security personnel.