Malta’s Superintendent for Public Health takes questions from Times of Malta readers.
Is it mandatory to wear masks in the common areas of shopping malls or condominiums? It is especially difficult to social distance in common areas of apartment blocks where space is restricted. Do you think that masks should be made mandatory in this case? – Lucia Hunt
Masks are obligatory for customers and staff while inside shops, including shopping malls. An additional precaution taken in shopping malls is that customers are subjected to temperature checks at the entrance for the presence of fever and those with a temperature of 37.2˚ Celsius or higher will be denied entrance.
There are no mandatory obligations in common areas in private residences.
However, people are also asked to be cautious and avoid touching surfaces, sanitise hands regularly, avoid meetings in common areas and use the stairs instead of using the elevator.
Do you think there should be undercover police/wardens on the ferries and public transport to make sure people were masks? – Joanne Vella
Our goal is to educate people and empower them to be responsible for the protection of others. We want to keep people safe and our standpoint is to educate so that people wear a mask just the same way as someone would wear spectacles.
However, the law is there for those who do not follow such measures, so we ensure we protect others. Enforcement is done by environmental health officers and police. Police are obliged to wear their uniforms.
People should always seek trusted sources of information from health authorities and not rely on rumours
The use of face masks helps reduce the spread of infection in the community by limiting the spread of infection from infected individuals who may not know they are infected, who have not yet developed symptoms or who remain asymptomatic.
The wearing of masks will therefore enhance the effects of physical distancing. It is important to note that face covers are not meant to be a replacement for physical distancing, observing cough and sneeze etiquette, maintaining meticulous hand hygiene and avoiding touching one’s face.
Are there any plans for government to once again significantly encourage remote working? – Mary Said
COVID-19 forced many entities to switch to remote working in a short period of time. For many, this went reasonably well in a short period of time and for some, it was just another day at the office.
Some companies globally reported that remote working has even improved employee productivity.
The health authorities encourage remote working where possible as it decreases the number of people who are physically present at workplaces and hence lessen the risk of transmission.
The other side of the coin, however, is that some jobs cannot be conducted through remote working and need the physical presence of people at the place of work.
For such workers, precautions need to be ensured to protect the employees.
There are many rumours here in Gozo on the occurrences of COVID-19 cases in Gozo. Could you tell us how many people are currently infected? – Reg Fitzpatrick
From the current 440 active cases as reported on August 11, there is one person who lives in Gozo and no cases in Gozo General Hospital.
People should always seek trusted sources of information from health authorities and not rely on rumours.
The United Nations has launched a campaign on misinformation during COVID-19.
The UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, Melissa Fleming said:
“COVID-19 is not just this century’s largest public health emergency, but also a communication crisis... We need to empower everyday people to spread factual trusted information with their friends, families and social networks”.
When will parents be informed about the opening or closing of schools since it’s already August? – Eleanor Spiteri
Available evidence collated by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control indicates that child-to-child transmission in schools is uncommon and is not the primary cause of infection in children. When physical distancing and hygiene measures are properly applied, schools are unlikely to be a source of spread of the virus as in other settings with similar densities of people.
It is essential that these measures are put in place in schools, including cohorting children in smaller groups.
However, one would need to see what the situation in September would be in terms of community transmission.
Have any questions to ask the superintendent? Send an e-mail to askcharmaine@timesofmalta.com.
Charmaine Gauci, Superintendent for Public Health