Schools are set to reopen on Monday as the government begins easing the soft-lockdown imposed last month.
Government sources told Times of Malta that Prime Minister Robert Abela is expected to address a press conference on Wednesday announcing that schools will reopen their doors for students on April 12.
Sources said the government had initially considered staggering the return to school – meaning children of different ages would go back to their school desks on different days. This idea, however, seems to have been shelved.
The decision to reopen schools, one senior source said, was based on public health advice given by the authorities.
It is understood that, during a meeting between public health chief Charmaine Gauci, the education authorities and educators, no evidence was presented to back the decision to open schools.
However, the authorities have informed educators that the decision is being based on the public health chief’s advice that it was safe to go back to school.
Abela is also set to announce the restart of surgery at Mater Dei Hospital
Times of Malta is also informed that there are “a few hundred” educators that have yet to be vaccinated though the majority have received their first dose.
Second doses are expected to start being given out in May since the health authorities wait eight to 10 weeks when giving out the AstraZeneca jab. The majority of teachers were given this jab.
The prime minister is also set to announce the restart of surgery at Mater Dei Hospital.
Other easing of measures will be staggered throughout the rest of the month, on the basis of a plan finalised in a meeting with stakeholders on Tuesday afternoon.
Abela said on Tuesday the government’s reopening plan will see the authorities being “very cautious”.
In March, the government ordered all non-essential shops and services as well as schools to close for at least one month amid a record surge in COVID-19 cases.
The closure saw shutters pulled down on all restaurants, non-essential shops and services including hairdressers, barbers, beauty shops, clothes shops, furniture and jewellery shops, toyshops and florists.
The public is currently only allowed to gather outdoors in pairs while crossings to Gozo are limited to residents.