Expats and vaccines

With reference to the Times of Malta articles ‘Living in Malta, but still no vaccine: red tape is putting expats at virus risk’ and ‘Asylum seekers left without vaccine’, Identity Malta Agency would like to bring the following to readers’ attention.

Foreign nationals who take up residence in Malta must be in possession of a residence document.

Notwithstanding that EU residents are required by law to apply for a residence document after having resided in Malta for three months, it appears that a number of EU nationals (some of whom have been residing in Malta for years) have overlooked this requirement.

Consequently, this has led to a surge in demand because of the need to be in possession of such document for the vaccination programme. Nonetheless, it is acknowledged that EU nationals are still entitled to their rights emanating from their free movement, even though they have not complied with such administrative formality.

Insofar as the migration process is concerned, Identity Malta Agency issues an identification number and confirmation of application upon the submission of the application. In the case of EU nationals, it confirms that they have complied with their obligation to register their residency in Malta on the grounds of their rights of freedom of movement.

In view of these issues, Identity Malta Agency is doing its utmost to issue the residence documents in the shortest time possible once it establishes that the applicant is eligible to be registered as a resident in Malta.

Tyson Fenech, senior manager – Marketing and PR, Identity Malta Agency

No health and safety

Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

I refer to the colour photograph featured on the back page of the Times of Malta (May 12). As always, I look forward to looking at these marvellous photographs.

However, on this occasion how ironic it is that the headline accompanying the photograph should be “attention to detail” as clearly there is no attention to health and safety.

As I recently highlighted the health and safety violations at the Liquigas storage facility (valid concerns which I also passed on to Liquigas but have yet to be even acknowledged or rebutted), I would now like to highlight the abject lack of such safety requirement that this wooden balcony restorer is clearly unaware of.

For, obviously, this balcony is at a height whereby a fall could result in serious injury or even death as he is not wearing any personal protection equipment whatsoever to protect his head, eyes or face. (Should he be wearing a face mask?)

What safety equipment is he wearing to prevent him falling from a height (a common cause of construction-related injuries/fatalities)? He is being supported by a wooden plank: is this an acceptable piece of equipment for such a task? 

However, sadly, as anyone who has observed a great many construction sites, such “mandatory” PPE is seldom, if ever, observed and/or enforced but why should this be the case?

Jacqueline Vella – Mellieħa

Is it not a contradiction?

If one says that one is in favour of life and, yet, is all for decriminalising abortion, thus supporting the choice of killing an innocent life in the womb, does this make sense?

Is this morally tenable? Is this not a contradiction in terms?

Fr Mario Attard OFM Cap – Marsa

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