LOCAL NEWS
Press Conference by Health Superintendent Prof Charmaine Gauci
Prof Charmaine Gauci confirmed the seventh death from coronavirus, announced earlier in the morning by the Health Ministry. The elderly man, aged 97, was undergoing rehabilitation at Karin Grech Hospital. He died last night.
The Health Superintendent also said that six persons have recovered. 491 persons have now recovered. One new positive case was identified during the past 24 hours out of 1,247 tests. This person was quarantined in the admissions section of Mount Carmel Hospital. He has now been transferred to a dedicated ward, with the necessary contact tracing taking place.
612 cases were registered in total, while the number of active cases has gone down to 28 persons are currently hospitalised.
Questioned about the Floriana FC celebrations, Gauci re-iterated her appeal for people present to visit swab centres and test themselves.
#MALTA-24: LOCAL NEWS
Charges expected against Floriana fans over mass celebration
Floriana football fans who gathered en masse on the Granaries on Monday will be charged and handed fines within days, Times of Malta reports. According to sources, police are in the process of identifying who was at the impromptu party to celebrate the club’s Premier League win, despite rules prohibiting gatherings of more than six people. Police have not explained why no on-the-spot fines were handed out at the time.
As well as breaches of social distancing rules, the investigation is looking at a number of other laws that may have been flouted.
These included not having permits to organise an outdoor event, the use of speakers, drinking alcohol in public and other similar contraventions.
The Malta Independent
Latvian health authorities tell citizens to avoid travel to Malta and five other countries Latvian health authorities have issued a recommendation against travelling to six countries including Malta for their citizens due to the Covid-19 situation, the Brussels Times reports.
The Latvian Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (Slimību profilakses un kontroles centrs – SPKC) encouraged Latvians not to travel abroad, but issued a list of countries in Europe ranked according to how safe they are to travel to based on how Covid-19 has affected the country.
The ranking is based on the “14-day cumulative incidence” of the virus as of 22 May, where Malta has ranked in 6th place out of all the countries, with a cumulative incidence of 25.6. As a result, Malta is highlighted in red – signifying that travel to the country is “not recommended”.
Sweden, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Ireland, and Portugal are the other countries highlighted in red, to which Latvians are not recommended to travel.
Printed
The Times reports that the Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers has not been granted access to the migrants aboard the three Captain Morgan boats moored outside territorial waters, almost a month after the request was first made.
The Malta Independent speaks to Commissioner for Persons with Disability Oliver Scicluna who insisted that new safety measures and protocols must be inclusive of disabled and vulnerable people.
L-Orizzont quotes Health Minister Chris Fearne who said that the relaxation of measures has not increased health risks, announcing that no new Covid-19 cases were reported between Monday and Tuesday.
L-Orizzont speaks to Hotels and Restaurants Association president Tony Zahra who said that restaurants reported better activity than expected when they returned to business on Friday. He also called for the reopening of the airport.
In-Nazzjon quotes PN Leader Adrian Delia who said that the pandemic has shown the contribution of grandparents to society. He said that new court procedures are proposing the right of people to see their grandchildren.
Editorials
The Times of Malta revisits the scandals which have riddled the powerstation project throughout the first Labour legislature, a saga which has delivered higher energy prices for Maltese families. The Editor insists that the persons involved behind such shady deals, namely Joseph Muscat and Konrad Mizzi, should answer questions in this regard. Lack of accountability and impunity are still the order of the day unless this government moves from words and fine-sounding proposals on rule of law to real action in favour of justice over the squandering of the people’s assets.
In-Nazzjon also tackles good governance and says that the so-called reforms are not bearing fruit as the decisions taken reflect those of the previous administration. As an example, the Editor picks on the recent appointment of Anthony Agius Decelis as Chairman of the Grand Harbour Regeneration Commission after being stripped of Parliamentary Secretrary responsibilities by the incumbent Prime Minister.
L-Orizzont also joins the calls for better governance, insisting that every citizen should be treated equally in front of the law. The Editor also calls for further consultancy when key decision are taken and complains that it is close to impossible to get a quick response from a number of institution. institutions. On the positive side, the Editor notes that the new Government has already implemented a number of decisions that inspire trust for what is yet to come.
The Independent has its say on the widely-discussed celebrations by Floriana FC supporters after being awarded their 26th league title. Calling these fans as “selfish and inconsiderate”, it says that such actions were disrepectful towards the larger part of the general public who had been following restrictions to the full. The Editor reminds its readers that it’s not clapping the nation needs, but social consideration.
Maltatoday is also inspired by these events, but dwells further on the transition phase. It calls for efforts to seek a balance between economy and health, calling on the general public not to let down their guard at this sensitive moment.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Greece to welcome Germans, Cypriots, Israelis in first wave of visitors
Greece will allow travellers from around two dozen countries including Germany, Cyprus and Israel to visit from mid-June without having to be quarantined, government officials said, part of a gradual easing of coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
Tourism accounts for about 20% of the Greek economy and the government sees the sector as a major engine of its recovery from a lockdown that has brought business to a virtual standstill.
“There will be some 20-25 countries whose nationals will be allowed to come,” a government source said, adding that the list would include Cyprus, Israel and countries in central Europe and the Balkans. The full list would be announced this week.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said Germans will be allowed to visit Greece from June 15. He has also said that international flights to the northern city of Thessaloniki would resume on June 15, sooner than an initial planned date of July 1.
EU Corner – by Comuniq.EU
Italy and Spain to get lion’s share of EU recovery fund
The European Commision will propose later today that Italy and Spain — the countries most affected by the coronavirus epidemic — get the lion’s share of a new recovery fund offering a mix of grants and loans, a senior EU official said.
Out of a total of 750 billion euros that the Commission is to borrow for the recovery fund, Italy is to get 173 billion, of which 82 billion would be grants and 91 billion would be loans.
Spain could be getting a total of 140 billion of which 77 billion would be grants and 63 billion loans.
European shares inched higher on Wednesday as investors focused on a fresh stimulus plan for the European Union, while renewed U.S.-China tensions over Hong Kong tempered optimism about a global economic recovery.
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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.
