No rationale!

I wish to air my views on three news items regarding Gozo.

I am glad that the ferry transport has been liberalised. But I cannot understand why it will be only for passengers.

And I cannot understand why Ċirkewwa and other points in Malta have not been included. Nothing was mentioned about the air transport using small, fixed-winged planes.

It seems that the Gozo mayors, the Gozo Regional Council, GTA and GUG have obtained a small victory because they have been granted a meeting with the Planning Authority.

I cannot understand why they are meeting. If the development is legal, even if it is ugly and unsustainable, then the law has to be changed.

I cannot understand our governments who put in place severe laws regarding drug abuse and child abuse, which is, obviously, as it should be, but then shy away from their obligation to protect our basic natural heritage and open spaces.

And it seems that Gozo is not receiving its fair share of healthcare. People who need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 at home are still waiting while I presume in Malta vaccination is progressing full steam ahead.

Joe Portelli – Nadur

Queueing to stay safe

A queue of people waiting outside the university for the COVID vaccine. Photo: Chris Sant FournierA queue of people waiting outside the university for the COVID vaccine. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

I was appalled to see the long queues at both Mater Dei Hospital and the university as people lined up to get their COVID-19 vaccinations. I can’t believe vulnerable people who have been shielding for the best part of the last 12 months could have been subjected to such a situation, mixing with much younger people who are more likely to have been out and about and, therefore, at risk of being infected.

Having recently returned from the UK, I thought I might share some best practice that the Maltese health authorities might learn from.

In the UK, the annual flu jab was used as a trial run for COVID vaccinations. I was called for mine with 48 hours’ notice and was given a precise time of 10.22. Appointments were booked two minutes apart and people were only allowed to join the queue within five minutes of their allotted time. I was in and out of the one-way system within five minutes.

When I took my 91-year-old mother for her COVID vaccination, the same protocol was followed. It was raining cats and dogs on the day but pre-joining instructions made it clear nobody would be allowed to join the queue within five minutes of their appointment. Everyone duly waited in their car or elsewhere until their allotted time. There were no queues whatsoever and my mother went straight in.

The process took less than five minutes but she then had to wait the requisite 15 minutes to ensure no immediate adverse reaction. A large waiting room with socially distanced chairs was allocated for this so as not to hold up the process. In fact, even churches and mosques are being used as ideal vaccination centres, precisely because of the large spaces available.

These vaccination centres, whether doctors’ surgeries or larger locations, are all being helped by an army of volunteers (so many are furloughed or redundant that it is not difficult to find people with free time on their hands and the promise of a vaccination if they volunteer provides an excellent incentive).

I simply do not understand why Malta would not follow such protocols, given the UK has now successfully vaccinated 20 million people without a major incident.

I am also at a loss to understand the vaccination priorities. Although Malta is way ahead of its European neighbours in the number of vaccinations administered per head of population, it does not seem to be prioritising by age but by occupation.

Janet Wojtkow – St Julian’s

Special anniversary

The Pontificate of Pope Gregory XV was relatively short but he left his imprint on the Catholic Church, especially with regards the canonisation of saints. He was elected pope on February 9, 1621 and this year marks the fourth centenary from the beginning of his papacy.

On March 12, 1622, he canonised a number of saints, including St Publius of Malta who not only welcomed St Paul after his shipwreck but also died a martyr in the lion’s arena in Athens. Today, marks the 399th anniversary of that canonisation. In a year’s time, it will be the fourth centenary of this canonisation, which is of great importance to the Maltese islands.

May I, therefore, ask the civil and ecclesiastical authorities whether they have any plans to commemorate such a unique anniversary?

Frans Said – St Paul’s Bay

Letters to the editor should be sent to editor@timesofmalta.com. Please include your full name, address and ID card number. The editor may disclose personal information to any person or entity seeking legal action on the basis of a published letter. 

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