Brazilian nationals living in Malta are facing distress due to COVID travel restrictions preventing their family members from travelling to be with them in exceptional circumstances.

A group of Brazilians residing on the island, many of them pregnant or mothers of young children, told Times of Malta they sought help from their family members living in Brazil since they have nobody else to lean on locally for childcare or respite.

However, with travellers from Brazil requiring authorisation from the health authorities before being allowed to enter Malta, many have had their requests denied despite explaining their unique circumstances.

Maria Moral, who works as an accountant with a local company, is eight months pregnant and caring for her one-year-old son, Gustavo. As her pregnancy has been deemed high-risk and anticipating the possibility of having to stop working to recover after giving birth, she was hoping her mother and sister would be able to join her in Malta to help her with childcare while her partner continues to work to support the family.

I was told my brother’s death did not qualify as an ‘exceptional circumstance’ in their application process

After her family member’s requests to travel to Malta were rejected, Moral said she has been “begging” the authorities to reconsider what is becoming an increasingly “desperate” situation for her.

“I will have a caesarean section due to my age and, because Gustavo was also delivered through caesarean, I was told going through normal labour would be too risky,” she said.

“The timeframe I have to recover is seven weeks, in which time I cannot drive, lift heavy loads or even hold my older son for a while. My partner does not drive and works 12-hour shifts.

“We don’t have any family here. My older son will still be attending childcare and we need to coordinate how to pick him up. There are things my sister could be helping us with but, as things stand, I will have to look after two children on my own.”

She is also saddened by the fact that her 75-year-old mother is being deprived of spending time with her grandchildren, despite being vaccinated and willing to undergo quarantine. “It is not fair. They are deciding our future as a family. It is unacceptable. No one wants special treatment, we just want our family here and quarantine at home, that is all.”

Mother left alone after baby was born with cleft lip

Sue*, a 29-year-old Brazilian national who has been working in the IT industry in Malta for three years, said her live and that of her husband were turned upside down when their second child was born with a cleft lip in September, following a

complicated pregnancy. “In November, I was recovering from COVID-19 while pregnant when we began trying to organise things for relatives to fly over to help,” she said.

“Despite repeated requests explaining our situation and explaining that our family members were vaccinated and willing to quarantine at home, we were denied.”

“Then, when 36 weeks pregnant, I was hospitalised with high blood pressure and my doctors decided then and there it was best to deliver early in the interest of both mine and the baby’s safety,” she continues.

“I was in hospital alone for 10 days because my husband had to work and take care of our elder daughter. Some friends stepped in to help us but, unfortunately, there’s a limit to what they could do. It was a very scary and stressful time for us.”

“It then transpired that our daughter was born with a cleft lip. It was very difficult to accept and understand the concerns we had about her life and her treatment. I was already exhausted physically and emotionally. Having someone from our family here would have helped a lot. At no point did the authorities consider the emotional toll this decision would have on our family.”

With her baby requiring surgery next month, the family are considering not having the procedure done in Malta because of the minimal help that will be available for her recovery.

Times of Malta is aware of at least another two pregnant women, who are also mothers to children under five, whose requests to allow relatives to travel to Malta to assist them have been turned down.

Grieving sister unable to comfort distraught mother

Rosie*, who has lived in Malta since 2017 and works in financial services, has been unable to visit or properly comfort her relatives after tragedy struck the family. “My brother died in April after being infected with the Delta variant. He tested positive and died 22 days later,” she said.

“Travel to Brazil was completely banned at the time and I hadn’t been vaccinated yet, so there was no way for me to go. So we asked for my parents to be able to spend 90 days in Malta. At this point, my mother was under psychiatric care and totally unable to face the grief of this tragedy alone. The only answer we got was that tours are not allowed and our request was denied.”

Rosie also tried to get her mother a temporary residency visa and was willing to comply with all requirements but was also brushed off. “I was told my brother’s death did not qualify as an ‘exceptional circumstance’ in their application process,” she said.

Due to her job commitments, Rosie said she is unable to spend prolonged time away from her job due to the nature of her work. She says that she has been told that she would not be allowed to quarantine in her own home and working while quarantining in a designated hotel would not be an option.  “Being unable to do my job while in quarantine will affect my salary. Meanwhile, my parents continue to suffer in Brazil and I have no comfort or help to offer them.”

*Names have been changed to maintain anonymity.