Ten medical organisations have called for the immediate prohibition of mass events in view of the recent spike of COVID-19 cases.
The organisations joined Sunday’s call by the doctors’ union for a ban on mass events where social distancing and mitigation measures are difficult to implement.
Twenty-two persons have tested positive since Thursday, with most linked to the Hotel Takeover Party held earlier this month.
On Monday afternoon the health authorities also urged those who went for the Sta Venera feast band march at the end of last week to get tested after detecting a case there.
The organisations underscored the need to strike a balance between national economic needs and mitigation measures to contain the virus.
They said the recent spike of cases, stemming from mass events, was of grave concern.
"In the weeks to come there are several such events planned that will bring together tens of thousands of revellers, in a context where mitigation measures are difficult to implement. As we have seen, these events have the potential to result in large surges of cases which are more difficult to contain and risk compromising all the gains that have been made through our collective sacrifice at the early stages of the pandemic,” the organisations said in a joint statement.
“The government has yet to sensibly respond to the spike in cases, by heeding the growing calls for the prohibition of such events.”
They said that as medical organisations , they endorsed the appeal of the MAM, by strongly calling on the government to revoke all permits for mass events and prioritise the health and wellbeing of the whole nation over the economic interests of a minority.
The associations are: Association of Anaesthesiology of Malta (AAM); Association of Emergency Physicians of Malta (AEPM); Association of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgeons of Malta (AOTSM); Association of Private Family Doctors (APFD); Association of Surgeons of Malta (ASM); Maltese Association of Opthalmologists (MAO); Maltese Association of Otolaryngologists and Head and Neck Surgeons ; Maltese Association of Radiologists and Nuclear Medicine Physicians (MARNMP) and the Maltese Paediatric Association (MPA).
Medical Association of Malta president Martin Balzan told Times of Malta on Sunday that having a relaxed attitude and behaving as if the coronavirus had gone away was 'playing with fire'.
“If we let our guard down we’re practically asking for it,” he said.
“Continuing to court tourists from all over Europe through large scale events is irresponsible. We have to strike a clear balance between protecting the economy and protecting ourselves from COVID-19.”
Balzan also said that opening up the airport to ‘high risk’ countries, in which he included the likes of the UK, France and Spain, was a gamble, and that allowing travellers to enter the country freely without quarantine was risky.
Continuing to court tourists from all over Europe through large scale events is irresponsible- MAM president
But Prime Minister Robert Abela on Sunday downplayed the spike, saying he was determined to maintain normality and keep the country open for business.
“Those fomenting fears whenever there is a new case stand no chance of creating panic,” he said at the Labour party’s general conference in Cospicua, on Sunday.
The call for an end to mass events was also made by the Malta Employers Association (MEA) which said it was “ridiculous” to risk gains made in fighting the virus to parties and village band marches.
“There can be no winners if there is a surge in cases brought about by mass events,” the association said.
“Besides the obvious impact and dangers posed to public health, many employers and employees have made tremendous sacrifices in the battle against COVID – lost productivity, reduced pay packet, working flexibly, mandatory quarantine for vulnerable groups among others.
Separatelyjoin, the Chamber of Commerce said it was not against the organisation of mass events, as long as these are organised in a responsible fashion, enforcing mitigation measures of social distancing and hygiene.
"Short of that, such events should be called off. Events attracting a foreign crowd that derive from higher-risk jurisdictions cannot be approved unconditionally," the chamber said.