Two quiet streets in Gżira, inhabited mostly by the elderly and widows, came to life recently for a spot of ‘corona tombola’ at their doorsteps, aimed at lifting morale.

The event was organised on the initiative of the neighbourhood grocer, Joseph Spiteri, who could not bear the silence that fell upon Victory and Sir Patrick Stuart Streets due to self-isolation.

He said he felt for the elderly residents who were staying indoors and afraid to go out due to the pandemic.

Spiteri has run the grocery for 40 years and has strong ties with the close community, even at times stepping in as their handyman. This time he took on the role of breaking the monotony that had set into the T-junction.

Spiteri is the president of the Mount Carmel Band Club and is responsible for decorating the streets for the town feast, so with the help of his mates, the area was decked out in flags and other festive decor, with loudspeakers calling out the numbers.

“We started at 5pm, because we did not want to disturb those who have an afternoon nap, and it went on for two hours,” said Spiteri.

The majority of residents, around 55 of them, joined in from their doorsteps and rooftops, some using horns and whistles to announce a line or a house.

He described the neighbourhood as tightly knit – but this time they kept their distance, Spiteri said, joking that he would come round the streets with a ruler to measure.

Participants gave a donation to play and won vouchers to spend at the grocery store.