LOCAL NEWS
Press Conference by Health Superintendent Prof. Charmaine Gauci (19th April, 1230)
Prof Gauci announced that 19 further persons have now recovered, taking this number to 118. 787 swab tests were carried out yesterday resulting in only one new cases. Over 24,000 test have now taken place. The only case registered today concerns to a Serbian women resident in Malta, who continued to report to work after initiation of symptoms. The necessary contract tracing is taking place.
Malta has now registered 427 total cases, with 306 remaining active. Two patients remain in Intensive Therapy. Prof Gauci said that the low numbers registered in the past few days is a reflection of the efforts of the authorities as well as the public’s respect of the measures implemented for their own safety.
PM Robert Abela “cautiously optimistic” about easing of restrictions
In his Sunday address on Labour media, Prime Minister Robert Abela described himself as “cautious but optimistic” that Malta was inching towards a gradual easing of restrictive measures imposed during the past few weeks to limit the spread of the pandemic. Abela expressed satisfaction that the population has generally been “disciplined” in respecting the orders. The Prime Minister said that restrictions will have to be eased in a gradual manner, ensuring a balance between economic needs and people’s health.
Educational tools
The Education Ministry has announced free online courses for parents and educators at a time when schools are closed, so they can still improve their skills in the educational sector. Parents will have the online opportunity to learn how to help autistic children, how to encourage them to read and write, in orthography and mathematics, as well as how to help children who experience difficulties in learning.
Lessons for educators have also been launched for them to improve their skills, advance in their career, and even climb a salary scale through the Accelerated Progression Scheme. More information for parents can be obtained from https://bit.ly/2Ve5km6, whilst educators may apply from https://bit.ly/34pA0oD.
41 people fined yesterday
While the majority appear to have heeded the Authorities’ appeals to avoid going out unnecessarily, despite a warm, sunny Saturday, the police stopped 40 persons from gathering in groups of four or more, imposing fines of €100. One person was caught breaching quarantine during one of the 664 inspections that were conducted in the last 24 hours.
MEDIA COVERAGE
Timesofmalta.com
One-third of private sector workers fear losing their jobs
A third of those working in the private sector are fearing for their jobs because of the fallout of COVID-19, a survey commissioned by Times of Malta has found.
A total of 33% of those in the private sector fear losing their job in the next three months, with the percentage increasing to 41% if the coronavirus outbreak had to last six months.
Conversely, just 12% of those working in the public sector feared losing their job in the next three months, increasing marginally to 15% if the outbreak had to last six months.
Carried out by EMCS Ltd, an advisory and market research firm, the survey has taken a snapshot of a country mostly cooped up indoors, and asked respondents about their finances, well-being and whether they fear for their jobs.
Tourism ‘will be last to recover’
Malta’s tourism is set to be the worst-hit sector in the aftermath of the COVID19 pandemic, according a report released this week.
Thirty-six industry experts were interviewed as part of the 141-page study, known as the ‘Agile Report’. It describes the tourism industry as going into ‘survival mode’ after the airport was put on lockdown last month and all entertainment outlets were closed. The research, carried out by Investment Management Agency Seed, looks at the effects of the pandemic on various sectors.
Maltatoday
Europe’s financial ‘bazooka’ not big enough for post-COVID recovery – Sant
Labour MEP Alfred Sant has told the European Parliament that the EU was “grossly underestimating” the medium-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and that there is little to no safety margin in resource measures to compensate for this.
Although he voted in favour of a resolution in the European Parliament on the EU’s coordinated action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, Sant expressed a number of reservations following a plenary debate addressed by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
Independent
Working capital loans: Banks agree to cap interest rate at 3.5%
The government has reached an agreement with all commercial banks to limit the interest rate on capital working loans to 3.5%.
The government has already announced a scheme whereby it will be covering the first 2.5% of the interest rate for the first 24 months.
The Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services and Digital Economy, Clayton Bartolo, has told The Malta Independent on Sunday that the interest rates given out by the banks will vary between 2.5% and 3.5%.
Printed
Malta Today estimates that Air Malta will register a loss of €130 million by the start of summer between ticket refunds and direct losses. The paper says the airline says it would take until 2021 to start making a gradual return to business.
The Sunday Times says that a third of employees in the private sector fear losing their jobs as a result of the coronavirus impact on the economy. A survey commissioned by the paper shows that 12 percent in the public sector have similar concerns.
The Independent on Sunday publishes an analysis of the Covid-19 spread by statistician Vincent Marmara who notes that cases have fallen to a two-week low thanks to social distancing measures.
Kullħadd says that the rate of new Covid-19 cases is similar to that registered 10 days ago while infected patients are recovering every day. The paper says that this could signal the start of the ‘road to stability’ in the emergency.
Illum makes an appeal to authorities in Malta and Brussels to protect the ‘vulnerable and voiceless’. The paper says that the AFM deserves praise for every life it rescues from the sea but says that no one should be left to drown.
Malta Today publishes survey results showing that 45 percent of people in Malta believe that restrictive measures could be extended by as long as the end of summer, while another 27 percent do not expect them to be lifted until the end of June.
It-Torċa says that predictions by the International Monetary Fund indicate that Malta is expected to register the highest increase in GDP from 2019 to 2021 among all EU states, rising to 6.7 percent of the levels last year.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
The coronavirus death toll in Europe has now surged past 100,000 victims
Accounting for 100,510 deaths — nearly two-thirds of the 157,163 global fatalities, according to a tally by the AFP news agency. Europe has suffered a greater death toll than any other continent.
Nearly a quarter of worldwide fatalities have been reported in the United States, where some 38,000 people have died, according to the John Hopkins Institute.
Over 4.5 billion people — more than half of humanity — remain at home as part of voluntary or enforced efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus through social distancing. Japan, Mexico, Spain, France, and the UK are among the countries that have expanded such measures or extended the length of their national lockdowns. The United States has the highest caseload of any country and by Saturday had lost some 38,000 people to the virus, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University.
China reports lowest confirmed coronavirus cases since March, no new deaths reported
China’s National Health Commission reported 16 new confirmed coronavirus cases on April 18, the lowest number since March 17 and down from 27 a day earlier, according to data published on Sunday.
Of the new cases, 9 were imported infections, the lowest since March 13 and down from 17 a day earlier. The remaining 7 confirmed cases were locally transmitted, down from 10 the previous day.
Newly discovered asymptomatic cases were at 44, down from 54 a day earlier. Three of the new cases were imported, according to the health commission.
No new deaths were reported, it said.
“We would like to make it clear that there is to this day no factual evidence corroborating the information recently circulating in the United States press that establishes a link between the origins of COVID-19 and the work of the P4 laboratory of Wuhan, China,” an official at President Emmanuel Macron’s office said.
The broad scientific consensus holds that SARS-CoV-2, the official name of the coronavirus, originated in bats.
In 2004, France signed an agreement with China to establish a research lab on infectious diseases of biosafety level 4, the highest level, in Wuhan, according to a French decree signed by then-foreign minister Michel Barnier.
EU Corner
Stepping up EU’s response to alleviate the effects of the crisis
MEPs adopted additional measures so that EU funding can be granted immediately and with exceptional flexibility to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. In Friday’s extraordinary plenary session, the European Parliament endorsed the “Corona Response Investment Initiative Plus” (CRII+) package proposed by the European Commission on 2 April by means of an urgency procedure.
Parliament President David Sassoli enhanced this argument: “We want to exit this crisis stronger, more robust, in a better position to tackle the challenges of tomorrow… It will be of the utmost importance to coordinate the gradual relaxation of the lockdown as well as the path to exit and recovery… to avoid any backtracking or any devastating return to crisis.”
More News:
For a Fact-Checked Aggregated Service of CoVid-19 related information, please visit: https://corporatedispatch.com/category/coronavirus/
Additional info
Helplines
111 – For those who feel symptoms of COVID-19 or who wish further information
21411 411 – For those in mandatory quarantine who require provisions of food and medicine
1772 – For those who are feeling lonely.
153 – For those who require information about the financial measures administered by the Department for Social Security.
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This daily update bulletin is being compiled for the Chamber of Advocates by CI Consulta from Corporate ID Group. CI Consulta delivers policy research and analysis, evaluations and impact assessments up to policy implementation and integration.
