The government announced a €1.8 billion aid packages for businesses and families on Wednesday, as Malta confirmed 10 new COVID-19 cases.  

If you are stuck abroad and need help to return to Malta, dial +356 22042200. 
If you are in quarantine and need food or medicine, dial +356 21411411. 
If you have questions about the impact of the coronavirus, dial 25981000.
If you have questions about measures for hotels and tourists, dial 21692447.
If you are an older citizen and need help at home, dial 25903030. 

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As it happened

Will HD video fall victim to COVID-19?  

9.33pm There might be an unusual casualty in the weeks or months to come: high definition video. 

The EU wants Netflix, Amazon, YouTube and other streaming giants to limit HD services, to save internet bandwidth at a time when people are working from home. 

We leave you on that rather unusual note. Thank you for having joined us throughout the day. 

Spotted something worth sharing or have a suggestion about a story to follow up? Send us a message at newsroom@timesofmalta.com

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Delia's withering dismissal

9.14pm Opposition leader Adrian Delia is not impressed by the measures announced. 

"This is not a mini-budget but a minimum budget," he says. 

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'Schools will remain closed for as long as needed'

9.11pm Abela: "It is hard to predict how long schools will remain closed for. We will keep them closed for as long as needed. Closing them was a tough decision, but we opted for health above education."

[On the lack of Gozo-specific measures]: "We are one country, without distinction. The Gozo Business Chamber made its calls before it knew what we would be offering businesses". 

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'No predictions, just scenarios' 

9.04pm Scicluna: "Global estimates of the GDP hit this crisis will cause vary, from 1- 3 percentage points. But we cannot make predictions - we can only set scenarios." 

Schemrbi: "When this blows over, the economy will not be where it was before this crisis. We need to plan ahead and ensure we can grease the country's economic engine, to get it going again."

Abela: "We could have focused on protecting our budget surplus, instead of helping people here and now. I understand people who worry about their livelihood or that of their loved ones."

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'This is not necessarily the final package'

8.58pm Schembri: "This is not necessarily the final aid package. We will have to analyse the situation as it develops. But we all have to lift our share of the burden". 

Abela: "One thing we did not want to do is dump the burden on workers. These are substantial measures". 

Scicluna: "The average government aid spending across Europe is less than 1 per cent. Ours is of around 1.5 per cent. When you add in the guarantees and tax deferrals, it amounts to almost 13 per cent of GDP."

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Lower interest loans 

8.55pm The ministers are now taking journalists' questions. 

Scicluna says he expects banks to offer businesses loans at lower interest rates than their standard ones, given that the loans will be backed by a government guarantee.

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New JobsPlus department 

8.51pm State employment agency JobsPlus will be opening a new department focused on helping third-country nationals who lose their job find a new one. 

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Deterrent for businesses to sack workers

8.49pm To protect workers, any company which sacks third-country nationals will no longer have the right to hire third-country nationals in the future. 

Malta is also no longer accepting any further third-country nationals for work.

The idea, Schembri said, is to ensure that third-country nationals who end up jobless will then find work elsewhere in Malta.  

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Help for stalled business

8.47pm Companies whose production has declined by 25% will get 1 day a week of payroll covered, up to €1.6m a week. 

Employees who lost their job as of March 9 will get a special unemployment benefit of up to €800 a month. 

People with a disability who cannot work from home will also get up to €800 a month.

The government is also reserving €700,000 to increase rent subsidies for affected families. 

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Businesses which have come to a halt

8.42pm Businesses which have come to a complete halt will have salaries covered for 2 out of every 5 days of work, up to €3m per week.
 
Self-employed people in that situation will also have 2 days covered, based on a cap of €800 a month.

Self-employed which employ others will get 3 days per week paid for by the state.

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Direct measures

8.40pm Silvio Schembri announces other direct measures:  

• €350 for companies per employee who was on quarantine leave
• Two months additional leave for families caring for children
• €800 per month for families who cannot work remotely, up to €16m

  ---

€35 million for healthcare

8.36pm Around €210m will be spent directly by the government. €35m of that will go to fighting the COVID-19 epidemic directly. 

No expense will be spared for the healthcare sector, Scicluna says.

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Loan guarantees 

8.34pm Loan guarantees will make it easier for businesses to access credit from banks. The government estimates that the €900m loan guarantees will cover up to €4.5 billion in loans from banks for the private sector.

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Aid amounts to 12.9 per cent of GDP

8.31pm Scicluna is speaking. The package amounts to €1.81 billion – 12.9 per cent of GDP. 

€1.6 billion of that will be dedicated to ensuring liquidity for companies. This will be split into:
a. Up to €700 million in tax deferrals 
b. Up to €900 million in loan guarantees 

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Package amounts to "just under €2 billion"

8.24am Abela  pledges aid for people who: 

• Remain at home to care for children
• Need help with bank loans
• Need help with rent
• Live with a disability
• €350 payment for all companies per employee which it paid quarantine leave for 

Abela says they will do all they can to keep redundancies to a minimum. 

Finance Minister Edward Scicluna says the aid package to be unveiled is more generous than that of many other countries.  

We have yet to hear details.

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Financial aid 'for all'

8.19am Abela says all industrial and all workers will be eligible for financial aid "without distinction".

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Prime Minister Robert Abela speaks

8.14pm Abela is expected to announce the government's financial aid plans for coronavirus-affected businesses. 

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An appeal by NGOs

7.52pm Economy Minister Silvio Schembri's comments about foreign workers spell disaster for migrants in precarious work who now call Malta home, a group of NGOs has said. 

“They are our colleagues, they are our neighbours, and they are our friends.  Through their work and contributions, they have contributed to making Malta a vibrant, exciting and dynamic country that promises to thrive on and respect all forms of diversity. Their hard work has joined our own to fuel an unprecedented economic growth that is intended to benefit all members of Malta’s several communities,” the NGOs said.

They've asked the government to keep some core principles in mind.

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Africa must "wake up" - WHO 

7.40pm The World Health Organization says African countries are not taking the coronavirus seriously enough. 

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is Ethiopian, believes the 233 cases registered in sub-Saharan Africa are not a true reflection of reality, due to undetected and unreported cases. 

Even if that were a true number, he said, things could quickly change.   

"In other countries, we have seen how the virus actually accelerates after a certain tipping point, so the best advice for Africa is to prepare for the worst and prepare today," he said.

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Financial aid update

7.27pm We've just been told to expect a news conference at around 8pm so stay tuned and we'll bring the information to you here. Earlier Finance Minister Edward Scicluna told parliament that the financial aid package for businesses would be unveiled today.

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A message of support

7.12pm Bored in quarantine? Stuck at home? Well you could always spend your time filming a message of support to the people on the frontline of coronavirus. 

The official COVID-19 government information Facebook page has more details.

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Global coronavirus cases top 200,000

7.02pm The number of coronavirus infections worldwide has passed 200,000, with 8,000 deaths. More deaths have now been recorded in Europe, the new virus epicentre, than in Asia since the outbreak first emerged in China in December. 

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'Heartbroken' Destiny thanks her fans 

6.45pm Destiny Chukunyere's Eurovision dream has vanished, at least for now.  But while she may be heartbroken, she's remaining positive. 

"This year has already been such a great experience and I will be forever grateful for all the work you have done in this wonderful journey," she told her team in an Instagram post. 

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Good news if you drive a banger 

6.33pm All VRT tests have been suspended until further notice and road licences will remain valid after they expire, Transport Malta has said. 

You'll still need a valid insurance policy, so don't get any ideas. 

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Italy reports its highest one-day death toll

6.30pm Italy has reported 475 new deaths from the novel coronavirus over the past 24 hours.  It's the highest one-day official toll of any nation since the first case was detected in China late last year. 

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Trading halted in US after 7% drop

6.12pm Another morning of painful news for the markets in the USA, with the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq Composite all posting hefty losses. The S&P 500 fell 7%, triggering an automatic halt in trading. 

Oil fell by another 15% and is now trading at an 18-year low. 

Even 'safe' assets like gold and government bonds are not enticing investors.

Meanwhile, in Europe, there's cautious talk of bringing EU nations together to borrow money on the markets together, rather than single entities. They're calling the idea 'coronabonds'.

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MIA's miserable March

6.02pm Airport traffic fell by an average of 38 per cent in the first 17 days of March, with declines snowballing over the past 11 days.

Malta International Airport has issued a company announcement featuring a breakdown of March traffic figures, and it does not make for pretty reading. 

The company will be holding an extraordinary board meeting on April 22, in the hope it has more clarity about the situation at that point. 

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99% of Italy's COVID-19 deaths linked to other illnesses - report 

5.44pm One thing which has puzzled epidemiologists is why Italy’s COVID-19 fatality rate (around 8 per cent) has been so much higher than the global average of just under 2 per cent.

We already knew that the average age of those who died of COVID-19 in Italy is 79.5. Now a study published today by Italy’s national health authority provides what could be another clue.

The study found that more than 99 per cent of all the people who died of the virus in Italy had preexisting medical conditions, and that all of the under 40s who died had serious medical conditions.  

Bloomberg has the report. The original study [in Italian] is here.

There could be another factor at play, too. Italy is only testing people who present COVID-19 symptoms, meaning the actual number of infected people might be much higher than that being calculated. The death rate, of course, is calculated using the number of known infections. 
 

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Disciplined forces to get childcare services

5.31pm Disciplined forces - that's the police, army, firefighters and so on - will soon be able to use childcare services, allowing them to do their duty without having to worry about where to leave their young children. 

Until now, childcare services were only being provided to healthcare workers. 

Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri made the announcement in parliament, our parliamentary reporter Keith Micallef tells us. 

Childcare centres were closed down last week along with schools and the University of Malta.   

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Inside the financial aid negotiating room

5.25pm Consultants and cabinet ministers who worked to hash out a financial rescue action plan did not agree on how to best manage possible mass redundancies of workers. 

Economy Minister Silvio Schembri told parliament on Tuesday that the government’s priority was to help “Maltese and Gozitans” to the detriment of foreign workers, arguing “charity begins at home”. 

But people who sat at the negotiation table tell us that there was another view put forward – that excluding some workers from aid would spell disaster for certain sectors. 

“There are some who feel this aid should go to Maltese workers first and foremost, while there are others who believe that for entire economic sectors not to crash completely, then the aid will have to be used for all workers,” a senior government source said. 

“Of course the bottom line is how much money do we have to spare. Luckily we have €600 million from the sale of passports, but that can be gobbled up quite quickly if we aren’t careful. We are in this for the long haul now.” 

One of the options on the table was a measure to help cover employees’ wages, with companies and employers getting a handout from Inland Revenue. 

The measure, which was described as “a medium-term” initiative by sources, may be designed to overlook third-country nationals who have only been employed in Malta for a short period, by including a clause which would only make third-country nationals eligible if they have regularly paid national insurance contributions for a few years.

Finance Minister Edward Scicluna will announce the financial aid package later today. 

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New York is getting itself a floating hospital 

5.15pm New York is to get a 1,000-room hospital ship that will dock in the city's harbour to fight coronavirus, state governor Andrew Cuomo has said.   

Cuomo said US President Donald Trump would dispatch the USNS Comfort to New York immediately.

"It's literally a floating hospital, Cuomo said. "It has about a 1,000 rooms on it. It has operating rooms."

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New COVID-19 deaths per capita 

4.57pm You can hover to see each country's respective data, but the colours alone are enough to make it clear why the WHO now considers this to be a distinctly Euro-centric pandemic. 

 

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Waiting weeks for your groceries

4.37pm If you thought you could just order home delivery of your groceries without any worries, think again. 

A massive spike in demand means it can now take you weeks - that's not a typo - to get your groceries delivered at home. Jessica Arena has the full story.

Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of Malta have been roped in to help deliver food to people in quarantine. Mark Zammit Cordina joined them as they bought, packed and delivered groceries to people today. Claire Caruana reports.

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MPs are - finally - being screened 

4.28pm As from today, MPs and all parliamentary staff are being thermally screened and anybody having fever will be refused entry into the building.

Government whip Glen Bedingfield made the announcement in parliament, in agreement with the Opposition.

Opposition deputy leader David Agius said the measure was welcome but asked whether it was safe to hold meetings in the plenary chamber. 

Speaker Anġlu Farrugia pointed out that Malta following the practice adopted by the House of Commons in the UK. Only MPs taking part in any given debate are present in the plenary at that time, with MPs remaining at a safe distance from each other to minimise risk of contagion.

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Aid package later today

4.25pm A financial aid package for businesses will be unveiled later today, Finance Minister Edward Scicluna has just told parliament. Expect a press conference later today.

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Even the spring equinox is going online

4.22pm Every year, Heritage Malta opens up Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdrato the public at dawn to witness the spring equinox. 

Not this year though. Instead, it will be live streamed this Friday at 6.15am.

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'This was a calculated appeal to a particular gallery' 

4.15pm SilvioSchembri's apology of sorts does not wash with our opinion writer Colm Regan. 

"He knew precisely what he was doing," Regan writes. 

"This was a calculated appeal to a particular gallery and a specific power agenda.  One that has and will continue to have consequences for many others, so many of them not remotely as privileged and protected as the good minister."

Read 'Our words shape the world, minister'.

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What do employers want? 

4.08pm Malta's four employment bodies have written the prime minister a letter, and it's brief and to-the-point. They want the government to cover 50% of payroll for affected businesses, while they'll pay 25%. 

It seems workers would have to suck up, or at least defer, the remaining 25%. 

More here.

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Praise for Charmaine Gauci

3.58pm CharmaineGauci's is not just Malta's Superintendent of Public Health. She is also an associate professor at the University of Malta's Faculty of Medicine and Surgery. 

Some of her academic colleagues have publicly praised her for her work over the past days. 

"Not only have her daily updates on the COVID-19 situation demonstrated her sense of professionalism, but for other UM women in STEM, she is managing to brilliantly rise to another occasion; that of representing them well, and by inference, encouraging more women to pursue a career in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics industries," the University of Malta said. 

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PN's flag-flying gesture of solidarity

3.48pm The Nationalist Party has just sent a news release announcing a "gesture of solidarity" directive for the party's headquarters and all its clubs. From Thursday, all their buildings will fly the Maltese flag.

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A 14-point coronavirus plan

3.29pm The US, the UK and other countries have published massive economic packages to counter the coronavirus pandemic. In Malta, we're waiting to find out what the government's full proposals are. 

Meanwhile activist group Civil Society Network have published a list of 14 proposals that they say would cost around €1 billion and would combat the drastic effects that the COVID-19 pandemic is leaving on the economy.

They include turning hotels into affordable accommodation for staff, providing severance packages to people who lose their jobs because of the virus and government-issued zero-interest loans for businesses.

You can read the full list here.

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Scam alert? 

3.05pm A message is being shared across social media warning people about thieves who trick people into letting them into their homes by claiming to be "sanitization units" sent by the government. 

There is no evidence that this is true. We've spoken to the police and they tell us they have not received any reports about this. 

Needless to say, be on your guard and don't let strangers into your house unless they can properly identify themselves.

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Foster-a-worker?  

2.44pm  Some SMEs are thriving. Many are not. The lobby group that represents them, the Chamber of SMEs, has come up with a system to try and pair workers who risk losing their jobs, with firms which have seen a spike in demand. 

"We are helping companies with employment problems and we are finding alternatives for those companies which do not want to lay off their workers. So this initiative is a win-win,” a Chamber spokesperson told Matthew Xuereb.

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Silvio Schembri: 'My choice of words was unfortunate' 

2.38pm Economy Minister Silvio Schembri has issued a public video message [in English] to "set the record straight". 

"We will not be terminating any work permits of third-country nationals who are in employment. I was neither referring to any European citizen working and living in Malta legally," he says. 

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Eurovision 2020 cancelled 

2.34pm Destiny will not get a chance to shine. 

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How food delivery services and taxis are handling the crisis

2.15pm Food delivery services look set to be big winners of this coronavirus crisis - provided they take precautions to ensure they do not fuel viral transmissions themselves. 

Ivan Martin looks at how one operator is handling the situation.

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A ray of sunshine from St Paul's Bay primary 

2.12pm Teachers at St Paul's Bay primary school have recorded a video message for their young students, encouraging them to stay safe and positive. 

It makes for a nice change from all the less uplifting news this situation has brought about. 

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Ryan Callus: Schembri's comments 'unacceptable' 

2.07pm Here's PN MP Ryan Callus on Economy Minister Silvio Schembri's talk about foreigners being deported: “Such comments are unacceptable in a modern civilised country. This is a global pandemic and the last thing politicians should be doing is to pit people against each other".

Callus then went on to argue that the PN was right to criticise the government for basing economic growth on population growth. 

Government policy had led many Maltese to take out loans to build apartments for foreigners, he says. Once the foreigners left, who would make up for those loans and lost rental income?

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Dutch MPs debate 'herd immunity' strategy 

1.56pm The UK first promoted and then shelved the idea of allowing the coronavirus to spread through the population, creating a 'herd immunity'. 

One major European country is still going down that path: the Netherlands. 

Dutch MPs are currently debating that strategy, which Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte yesterday announced was the government's preferred one. The strategy has been criticised on several fronts. 

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PN holds press conference

1.50pm  PN MP Ryan Callus is slamming Economy Minister Silvio Schembri for his comments about foreigners. 

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HSBC shareholders to get a dividend 

1.34pm HSBC Malta will be paying out a dividend on April 15, the bank said. 

The bank is also putting off its annual general meeting to a later date. 

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COVID-19 in pictures 

1.30pm The global coronavirus crisis has turned societies upside-down and made familiar scenes look somewhat surreal. 

Here is a selection of photos from around the world. Scroll to the right to rotate between them. 

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Glastonbury Festival cancelled

12.59pm It was inevitable, really. Glastonbury Festival, the UK's biggest music event, has been cancelled. 

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Details about new COVID-19 cases 

12.53pm If you're looking for details about the new coronavirus cases which authorities have confirmed over the past 24 hours, you can find them here.

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Drug completes clinical trials in China  

12.47pm Chinese scientists say trials show that Favipiravir is effective in treating COVID-19 patients, with no serious side effects. The drug is an antiviral that has been used to treat Ebola.

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Around the world

12.40pm Here's a quick look at developments around the world over the past hours: 

• COVID-19 deaths in Europe now exceed those in China. 
  
  
• Spain has more than 13,700 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with around 2,500 of those being confirmed in the past 24 hours. Around 5,500 of those active cases – roughly 40 per cent – are in hospital. 
  
  
• EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has told German newspaper Bild that "we who are not experts underestimated this crisis".
  
  
• There has been the first known COVID-19 death in sub-Saharan Africa: the victim is a man in Burkina Faso.  

And a bonus good news item: A 103-year-old woman in Iran has survived the coronavirus and recovered after being infected. 

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On herd immunity 

12.25pm Gauci is explaining why Malta has not gone down the ‘herd immunity’ route of trying to mitigate the damaging effects of the coronavirus. 

Herd immunity requires a sizeable number of people to be infected and recover, she explains. But the more infected people, the bigger the chances of elderly and vulnerable getting infected.

“That is why we are trying to reduce infection rate.”

It is the conclusion experts at Imperial College London reached, too. An analysis they drafted found that the UK’s original strategy - which sought to mitigate the virus effects without drastic suppression measures - could have led to 250,000 people dying there. The UK government has now changed tack and is also working to reduce the chances of the virus spreading.

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Combination of transmission scenarios

12.16pm Malta is now experiencing cases of community transmission, with people infected despite having no known link to people known to have been carrying the virus. 

We also have cases of transmission from abroad, as well as cases where people were infected after coming into contact with people who were recently overseas.

Gauci says this was to be expected. To combat this, authorities are extensively contact tracing and stepping up their efforts to identify cases as early as possible.

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Ten new COVID-19 cases

12.08pm Gauci has said that we have 10 new known cases of COVID-19.

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COVID-19 daily briefing 

12.03pm Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci will soon give her daily update about Malta's COVID-19 situation.

Follow it live.

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A desolate Sliema 

12pm Thousands of people would usually be out and about in Sliema on a day like today. No more. 

 

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Police conduct certificates go online-only 

11.52am The police force says it will no longer be receiving in-person requests for conduct certificates at its HQ.

Certificates are still being issued, but they've now taken the service completely online. 

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More than 100 doctors in quarantine 

11.38am This is not good news: the Medical Association of Malta says that around 110 doctors are currently in COVID-19 quarantine, either because they travelled abroad recently or "for medical reasons". 

Claire Caruana has the full story.

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Maltese stranded in Sicily 

11.33am A catamaran was due to dock in Pozzallo this morning and return to Malta with Maltese stuck on our neighbouring island. Sicilian port authorities, however, refused to allow passengers to dock. 

Sarah Carabott has more.

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How has the local stock market reacted? 

11.25am The local market has been hurt, but it hasn't been the bloodbath we've seen in some other places. Whether we're just behind the curve remains to be seen. Rowen Bonello from Calamatta Cuschieri expands. 

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Restaurants advertise their delivery services

11.18am All restaurants, bars, cafes and other eateries have been shut down as of today. But the legal notice ordering their closure, which was published late yesterday, makes two exceptions: food delivery or takeaway services, and room service for hotel guests. 

Eateries are now doing their utmost to advertise their availability to passers-by. 

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A new Gozo ferry schedule... but what is it? 

11.10am The Department of Information has shared a notice saying that Gozo Channel will be amending its ferry schedule as of next Monday "until further notice". 

But there's a problem - they seem to have forgotten to include the new ferry times.

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Ian Borg's coded messaging 

11.05am Transport Minister Ian Borg has shared a message on Facebook in which he thanks all workers, emphasising that his thanks apply "without any distinction".  

He singles out our "other heroes", who transport goods, medicines and people and those who continue to improve Malta's infrastructure. 

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COVID-19 briefing at noon

11am Superintendent of Public Health Charmaine Gauci will give her daily COVID-19 briefing at 12pm. We will of course share a live stream video link. 

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Notice for Air Malta passengers 

10.53am The government is suspending all commercial flights as of Saturday. If you are an Air Malta passenger affected by this ban, here's what you can do: 

• If you are Maltese and stuck overseas, call +356 220422020 or email sitcen.mfea@gov.mt;
• If you are not Maltese and stuck in Malta, contact your respective embassy;
• If you are due to fly within the next 48 hours and have questions to ask, call +356 25991230 
• If you need a refund, email refundrequest@airmalta.com

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About school closures

10.44am We’ve just spoken to a top education sector official, who’s clarified the apparent discrepancy between a government statement about school closures and a legal notice issued about it last night. 

In essence, the government is hoping to reopen schools once Easter holiday are over (and planning for that eventuality), but that will only happen once the Superintendent of Public Health issues a repeal order to that effect. 

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Bored at home? Watch a free concert 

10.38am  Musicians such as Chris Martin, John Legend and Pink are taking to social media to deliver live performances during the coronavirus lockdown.

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin was among the first to kick off the trend, speaking to fans from his home on Monday and taking requests for some of the bands most popular songs, including A Sky Full of Stars and Yellow. 

At the end of his 30-minute live stream, he urged people to get information from reliable sources and passed the baton to fellow musician John Legend.

The free performances are being watched by hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world and are trending under #togetherathome.

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What did Silvio Schembri say?  

10.28am Parliament is held in Maltese, which makes it hard for those who don't speak the language to follow.

Here's a subtitled video of the Economy Minister speaking the sentences which sparked a storm of criticism from Malta's huge community of foreign workers. 

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Food delivery directory for Gozo 

10.21am An enterprising web developer has created an online directory of food stores which offer delivery services to places in Gozo. 

You can find the directory at https://foodstoresgozo.com/ and you can thank Christian Meilaq for having created it. Stores which would like to get listed can do so by filling in the appropriate form.

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When will schools reopen? 

10.12am The government has just issued a statement in which it says the school closure period has been extended until after this year's Easter break. School is due to resume on April 20. 

But that does not tally with a legal notice issued last night, which makes it clear that school will remain shut indefinitely until the Superintendent of Public Health repeals that order.

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Silvio Schembri gets panned on Facebook

9.56am The Economy Minister - who yesterday told parliament that "charity begins at home" and that foreigners who lost their jobs as a result of the crisis would "go back to their countries" - has taken a hammering on Facebook. 

His Facebook page is no longer accepting reviews or recommendations after dozens posted critical comments overnight. 

"Shame on you, you take our 'foreigner' tax money and use it just for Maltese people, not anyone else who needs help!!!" wrote one. 

"It does not suit a minister to judge people by nationality. selfish and not serious," another agreed.

A third: "Such a shame for the country...many of us, the foreigners, call Malta "home"." 

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Balconies as message boards

9.45am With more people stuck indoors than usual, many are using their balconies as makeshift message boards. 

The messages range from notes of encouragement for healthcare workers to others encouraging people to remain indoors or even prayers for divine intervention. 

Spotted something you think is worth sharing? Get in touch at newsroom@timesofmalta.com. 

 

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Silent city 

9.38am No sign of tour guides or tourists in Mdinathis morning: the silent city is living up to its name.

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Are psychological biases affecting decision-making? 

9.25am Politicians currently have some difficult decisions to make. How could the psychology of decision-making be affecting those choices? 

"Making good decisions requires accepting that our narratives are incomplete and quite possibly plain wrong," argues behavioural science professor Nick Chater in this analysis.

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No more rush hour traffic 

9.08am Traffic used to be the bane of locals. Not anymore - the streets are almost completely deserted. Here's a photo a reader sent us of Msida circus this morning.  

 

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France bans short-selling for a month

8.58am  French regulators have banned short-selling on the Paris bourse for a month. Investors use short-selling to bet the market will fall. That puts a lot of pressure on prices and can end up causing a lot of uncertainty and volatility. 

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'A dark day for aviation' - MIA boss Alan Borg

8.45am Malta International Airport CEO Alan Borg has given his first comments since news broke that flights to Malta will be banned as of Saturday.

“Saturday will be a dark day for the local aviation industry and all stakeholders who have worked tirelessly to ensure the industry’s growth and success over the past years," Borg said. 

"Now, more than ever, it is crucial for us to work together with government and all industry players to see the local aviation industry through these trying times". 

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Markets down

8.39am Bad news for financial and commodities markets. 

Tokyo ended down 1.7 per cent, while Sydney plunged more than six per cent and Hong Kong lost more than three per cent in the afternoon, while Shanghai was 1.8 per cent off.

Seoul shed almost five per cent, Mumbai lost 3.5 per cent and Jakarta and Taipei retreated more than two per cent.

Oil prices were down, too. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate was down 2.5 per cent at $26 a barrel, while international benchmark Brent lost 1.5 per cent to $28.

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Muscat is back in town 

8.22am Here's a morsel of news that's not coronavirus related. Our jet-setting former prime minister (and current Labour backbencher) Joseph Muscat returned to Malta late last night, flying in from London. Here he is, checking in at Heathrow airport yesterday evening. 

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Supermarkets are hiring

8.28am Speaking of supermarkets, many local ones have started posting job vacancy ads to Facebook. The economy might be tanking, but with bars and restaurants closed, supermarkets look set to benefit. 

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Shopping for the elderly 

8.18am Yesterday, we shared news of Woolworths supermarkets in Australia reserving one-hour slots for elderly and disabled shoppers. 

We now have what we think is the first local supermarket to follow suit. Iceland supermarkets have told customers that they are reserving 7am-9am time slots for "the elderly and the most vulnerable". 

"We ask the public to respect this time period," the supermarket said on Facebook. 

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Lotto suspended

8.13am The coronavirus has forced Maltco to suspend a 100-year-old tradition: the local lotto. 

All tickets purchased will be valid for a later, as yet undefined date, when the suspended lotto can resume.

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What happened overnight?

8am Here is a summary of key events over the past 12 hours: 

• EU leaders agreed to ban all travellers from outside the bloc for 30 days 
  
  
• Malta will ban incoming flights as of Saturday 
  
  
• Schools will remain closed next week and until further notice
• Economists believe Malta's economy could shrink by up to 50%.
  
  
• US president Donald Trump is planning a $1 trillion aid package, including direct financial aid to each family

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