The nurses’ union wants the public to alert them to any mass events where social distancing is not taking place.
On Wednesday, the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses said it had met with Health Minister Chris Fearne to discuss concerns over mass events and the spread of COVID-19.
The union said that while Fearne was not prepared to cancel all mass events, he seemed committed to enforcing fines and penalties for venues and organisers that did not follow the rules.
On Wednesday, the government announced new fines for event organisers caught flouting social distancing rules.
Meanwhile, the nurses’ union lamented how the government had adopted a laissez-faire attitude to social distancing rules.
Parties and mass events have been allowed to take place with no social distancing and all guidelines were completely ignored with no legal action being taken,” the union said.
The MUMN said it was informed that if Malta keeps registering high numbers of new COVID-19 cases for another week, it will start experiencing its "second wave", risking another partial lockdown.
The union said that “since the government is yet to prove itself on mass events”, it was going ahead on Friday, August 7 with industrial action previously set for Monday.
Union announces directives for Friday
As from August 7, all nurses and midwives working in the St Vincent de Paul, Mater Dei, Gozo General, Karen Grech, and Mount Carmel hospitals are to adhere to the following directives:
No washing of patients;
No ambulation of patients to an armchair from a bed and vice versa;
No accompanying patients to X-rays, theatres, out-patients etc;
The only forms to be filled by the nurses and midwives are the nursing report, treatment charts, output/input charting, blood glucose monitoring, TPR and Sp02 monitoring.
For physiotherapists working in St Luke’s Hospital, community care centres and homes, Gozo General, St Vincent De Paul, the Child Development Assessment Unit, Mount Carmel, Mater Dei and Karen Grech, the following apply:
Mater Dei Hospital
In the inpatient and orthopaedic wards no elective surgery patients are to be seen.
In all other wards, only chest patients are to be seen.
In the outpatients section, only three patients are to be seen face-to-face by each physio every day.
Karen Grech inpatients
No new patients are to be seen and that includes patients transferred between wards;
No home visits.
Karen Grech outpatients
No more than three patients are to be seen face-to-face by each physio.
CDAU
No more than three patients are to be seen face -to-face by each physio.
SVPR
Only chest patients to be seen in wards;
No ward rounds are to be carried out;
No home visits.
Outpatients: No more than three face-to-face patients are to be seen by each physio.
MCH wards
Only chest patients to be seen;
No wards rounds;
No home visits;
No classes.
MCH outpatients
No more than three face-to-face patients are to be seen by each physio everyday.
Primary Care
No more than three face-to-face patients daily are to be seen by each physio.
GGH wards
No new patients are to be seen;
GGH Outpatients
No more than three face-to-face patients daily are to be seen by each physio.
Community care and Homes
No more than 3 face-to-face patients to be seen by each physio every day.
To all ECG technicians working in all hospitals excluding Sir Anthony Mamo, the following apply:
No ECGs are to be done if sent and ordered through the outpatients department;
No ECGs requested as a review between 5 and 7am.
Vulnerable healthcare professionals members of MUMN
Healthcare workers considered vulnerable by the Health Department or are currently pregnant, are to request to work in non-clinical areas, with no patient contact if they consider their current workplace as high-risk.
If the hospital administration does not provide a non-clinical placement, they are to telework like other civil servants.