The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association has called for tax exemptions on overtime and part-time income earned by employees as the sector struggles with staff shortages.

The lobby group was reacting to complaints on labour shortage in the hospitality industry in the wake of the pandemic.

"We need to do all that is needed to attract and retain employees working in the tourism industry even during such difficult times. If we get this wrong then the repercussions can be serious,” it said in a statement on Monday.

“We need simple and clear protocols which safeguard public health but which also reflect the needs of the economy. It’s important to remember that the economy is all of us and that tourism is the heart that pumps the economic blood."

The MHRA also appealed to the health authorities to direct their COVID-19 policy to focus on the number of infected patients recovering in hospital rather than the number of those infected without the need for hospitalisation.  

Concurrently, the government also had to do its utmost to reduce the number of infected people so that Malta can go back to its “green” status as soon as possible. 

The MHRA referred to Malta's return to the EU’s “red” travel list following a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases. 

As national health authorities confirmed that the majority of recent new infected cases are unvaccinated individuals, Malta’s task now is to complete the vaccination drive to get every resident protected, president Tony Zahra said.