Works are underway on the Primary Healthcare Centre in Poala, which will be dedicated to former Health Minister Vincant Moran, and it should open by April 2022

On Thursday, Health Minister Chris Fearne, alongside Parliamentary Secretary for EU Funds Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, visited ongoing construction works, where the five storey Healthcare Centre is being built.

"When I was a child, I used to live a few corners away from here," Fearne said. "A few corners away my family doctor live, politician and former Health Minister Dr Ċensu (Vincant) Moran who was the epitome of primary health care excellence. Thus, it is only fitting to dedicate this healthcare centre to him and name it 'Vincent Moran Hub'."

Fearne said that this will be the flagship for primary healthcare in Malta with plans underway for a similar project to be constructed in the north of Malta.

He explained that the ongoing construction work is moving as planned despite facing certain obstacles in the process. While excavating, two archaeological finds were reported; a shelter from WWII and other findings dated back to the Roman period.

"Despite this set back we are moving according to plan and by next April, the ground level should be constructed," Fearne said.

The centre will include a mental healthcare facility, which is part of the ministry's plan to decentralised mental health care from Mount Carmel hospital. Similarly, a dental facility will be available to reduce the influx of patients at Mater Dei Hospital.

Parliamentary Secretary for EU Funds Stephan Zrinzo explained that this project is being part-financed by EU funds with a €33 million investment from last year's funding programme. "Strengthening the healthcare system is a priority and this is why we are making use of EU funds for this project."

Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba's report on the Right to Disconnect has been approved by the great majority of the Members of the European Parliament.

The Right to Disconnect is a worker's right to be able to disconnect from work and refrain from engaging in work-related electronic communications, such as emails or other messages, during non-work hours. The MEP's report received 472 votes in favour; 70% of the MEPs votes.

In a live video on Facebook, Agius Saliba sounded his joy over the "historic moment" in the European parliament, as his report was approved a few minutes earlier.

This comes after a report he conducted showed that "30% of people who are working from home said that they are working during times when they should be off from work."

"I have been working on this since before I was elected as a membeer of the European Parliament," he remarked. "We worked with diverse European groups in order to get this vote."

The win is one for all Maltese and Europeans, he said, so that workers can enjoy their time off. "It cannot be that our workers continue being treated as if they are robots, and not being given their fundamental rights."

"In your free time, you should enjoy it with your family and your loved ones. No one should trample over this right."

The MEP said that such abuse by employers should not happen, and if it does, the employee should be compensated.

"We will now start to define the Right to Disconnect. We are going to give basic rights to workers. If you work more hours than was already agreed in your contract of work, you should be compensated fully."

Talking about the next steps ahead, Agius Saliba remarked that the pressure is now in the hands of the European Commission, so that the legislation that he wrote and negotiated comes into fruition. He said that it is now up to Nicolas Schmit, who is the European Commisioner for Jobs and Social Rights, to establish these new laws.

"Our appeal now is to the commission, so that Commissioner Schmit takes action in the shortest of time in order to start the discussions within the European Commision and so that they can ensure that the Right to Disconnect is implemented," he remarked.

An application for a block of 72 apartments has been sent back to the drawing board after the Planning Authority's (PA) board members were concerned that it could have a negative impact on the Urban Conservation Area (UCA) of Naxxar.

The block of apartment was proposed by Charles Camilleri, where the building would be located next to the former trade fair grounds.

The PA's chairman, Vince Cassar, remarked that he would like to see more greenery in the design, as well as more sense in the stylistic design of the development in order for it to fit in with the area. The developers accepted to address the changes needed that Cassar highlighted.

A zoning application, approved in 2017, set a building height of 17.5 meters in this area of Naxxar, which would enable a number of pending developments to take place.

The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage and the PA's Design Advisory Committee had objected to Camilleri's proposed development due to the impact it would have on the UCA.

Although some board members expressed concern that the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage and the Design Advisory Committee had not reviewed the latest plans, PA Executive Chairman Martin Saliba insisted that the Planning Directorate had done everything possible to minimise the project's visual impact in its discussions with the developer.

The development was considered as a "positive development of the urban fabric" in a report endorsed by the PA's planning directorate, claiming the apartment complex will be "an adequate transition" between Naxxar's urban conservation area (UCA), and an as-yet unapproved nine-storey development adjacent to it which is stoking controversy.

Architect Tara Cassar from Din l-Art Helwa however insisted that the project will have a negative impact on the urban conservation area; simply painting a wall won't solve it.

Lack of a traffic impact assessment was also something that worried Naxxar Mayor Anne Marie Muscat Fenech Adami, who also voiced her concern about the visual impact of the project.

The case officer claimed that although the project will have a visual impact on the UCA, it is "mitigated" by "the potential future development of the buildings within the area".

A nine-storey development near the area - in the trade fair car park - was also postponed back in November. 

The Church shools associated has condemned what it said was “irresponsible” behaviour by a teacher’s union over its reporting of Covid-19 cases.

It is understood that the association was referring to a Facebook post by UPE – Voice of the Workers, where the latter said it had been notified of “multiple alleged cases of COVID-19 at De La Salle College Junior School.”

The Secretariat for Catholic Education and the Association of Church Schools said the UPE was causing “unnecessary alarm and anxiety” among students, parents, and educators.

“Church schools are doing their utmost to inform parents and school staff as soon as a positive case is identified in one of the schools. This is being done in an open and transparent way to always ensure that the health and safety of students and staff remain a top priority,” it said.

“Since their opening in September, Church schools have constantly remarked that such statements by the UPE are not helping the current situation in Malta, which is already a daunting challenge for all schools. Thus, the Secretariat for Catholic Education and the Association of Church Schools call on parents to stay in contact with their children’s schools to keep abreast with objective information about COVID-19 and safety procedures in schools.”

It said that, in this challenging time, Church schools will continue to take the necessary health care measures to ensure the right to education to more than 17,000 students.

Around 400 to 500 people have received the second dose of the vaccine, Health Minister Chris Fearne said while answering to questions for this newsroom.

The first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine started being rolled out in Malta on 28 December 2020 while the second dose started being administered last Sunday. As directed by the manufacturing company itself, Pfizer, there needs to be a three week waiting period from one dose to the next.

The Malta Independent asked Minister Fearne for the number of people who have received the vaccine in full; both first and second dose.

Fearne started by saying that the vaccine was being rolled out in small amounts in the beginning but the numbers have ranked up since then with over 16,000 vaccines having been administered on Thrusday.

However, referring to Wednesday's figure of 15,300 vaccines being administered, Fearne said that the majority of these have been first doses, around 400 to 500 people have gotten the second dose. "Of course, this number has increased today and eventually we will let to a place where the ratio becomes equalised."

Asked if the rumours that some healthcare workers are refusing to take the vaccine are true, Fearne said that the percentage of refusals is very low and the majority has agreed to take it.

The authorities are currently collecting the data of those people who were contacted to get the vaccine (even from the public, not just healthcare workers) and the refusal rate will be published in the coming days hopefully. Additionally, some in-house evaluations are ongoing among healthcare workers to see what the general reason for refusal is.

He added that he does not have the exact percentage of how many healthcare workers have been vaccinated but the plan is that by the third week of February all healthcare workers in both the public and private sectors will have been vaccinated.

The Minister was also asked if there are plans to close off flights to and from the UK due to the variant that has caused some complications there, Fearne said that there has been an increase in surveillance of passengers coming from the UK and results show that there is no need for increased restrictions in this regard. He added that, other than the 3 persons that were reported a few weeks back, no other new variant cases have been found in Malta.

The issue of EU member states not receiving the number of vaccines promised by Pfizer, such as Italy which is taking legal action, was also brought up. Fearne said that Malta also received fewer vaccines than was planned this week, however, the authorities have communicated with the company which gave them their word that this shortage will be compensated in the coming weeks.

Fearne was also questioned on whether there are any plans to introduce stricter restrictions seeing that the spike in Covid-19 cases form the Christmas period has not decreased as much three weeks later. He did not give an indication of any plans for new measures, saying that numbers have actually remained quite stable considering the numbers that were being registered before the Christmas period. "Apart from these numbers the biggest concern is the number of people in the ITU which has also remained stable thankfully."

Construction magnate Charles Polidano has been fined €20,000 by a court for breaches of animal welfare laws at his Montekristo Estate.

He had been charged, in 2015, of having kept animals in inadequate quarters, causing them to suffer needlessly, as well as of failing to register animals, rearing pigs without permission from the authorities, owning an unlicensed zoo and recidivism.

Polidano had initially pleaded not guilty but filed an admission in 2019.

He was cleared of the recidivism charge after the court found that the imposition of a fine was not deemed a final conviction unless there was evidence that it had been paid or converted to prison time. In this case, there was no evidence of either.

The court also found that the charges related to the pigs were no longer offense since they had been repealed at law.

On the other hand, Polidano was found guilty of the rest of the charges on account of his own admission. He was fined €22,000.           

Last year, Polidano was acquitted of criminal charges related to an incident where a young boy was mauled by a tiger at the estate.

Ten new vaccination hubs will open in February as the vaccination effort intensifies, Health Minister Chris Fearne said on Thursday.

Speaking at a press conference, Fearne said that by today the first dose of the vaccine will have been administered to all those who are over 85 years old and can leave their house.

He said that there were some people who had not received the letter for their vaccine appointment, but added that they will be compensated through another session on Saturday.  Anyone from this age group who has not received the letter from the government giving them their vaccine appointment is urged to call 145.

As of Monday, vaccination will start for those 85 year olds who cannot leave their homes.

Furthermore, the vaccine will also be offered as of next week to those who have cancer and will be starting chemotherapy soon, as the vaccine is less effective on people who are going through chemotherapy.

15,316 doses of the vaccine have been administered so far.

The compilation of evidence against the three men accused of planting and triggering the bomb which killed journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia continues on Thursday.

George Degiorgio 55, known as Ic-Ciniz, Alfred Degiorgio, 53, known as il-Fulu and Vincent Muscat, 55, known as il-Kohhu are charged with murder and a number of charges relating to explosives.

Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit is presiding.

Lawyer Marc Sant is appearing for Vince Muscat. Lawyer William Cuschieri is appearing for the Degiorgio brothers.

Please refresh for updates:

14:36 The sitting is over. That's it for today. Thank you for following.  

14:36 George Degiorgio is heard saying: “Issa naraw ta’ min tgħaddi (now we will see who prevails)”. 

14:32 The Degiorgios are then removed from the courtroom by prison staff still shouting.

14:32 Degiorgio does not relent. “You broke the Constitution, now we shall see, Sur Avukat.”

14:31 As the magistrate walks out of the courtroom, accused George Degiorgio and later his brother Alfred launch into a tirade of abuse against the magistrate and the Attorney General. “Kollha nkallati... ksirtu d-drittijiet fundamentali tagħna. Basta tmur fuq il-qabar ta’ Kristu int,” George Degiorgio shouts with reference to parte civile lawyer Jason Azzopardi.

14:29 The magistrate reads out a decree. She refers to the Court of Appeal judgment by Judge Edwina Grima which said that the recordings are to be exhibited in this case. The court notes that the majority of the request concerned evidence heard in private without access. The court cannot uphold the request of the defence to hear the recordings.

14:24 The parties are trying to thrash out a date for the next sitting. This is made more complex by the fact that the prosecuting police officers are currently unavailable. Another sitting is finally scheduled for Monday 25 January at 2pm.

14:22 Defence lawyer William Cuschieri asks a question and the court follows up with a question of its own. The replies cannot be reported. The three psychiatrists are dismissed.

14:17 The witnesses are being asked other questions by parte civile lawyer Jason Azzopardi about their report on Theuma, however replies cannot be reported on court order. 

14:10 Defence lawyer Marc Sant asks whether Theuma's mental health problems had started with the murder or before it. Deputy Attorney General Philip Galea Farrugia objects, saying that the psychiatrists had been appointed for a specific purpose. 

14:07 The psychiatrists say Melvin Theuma is capable of testifying and continuing the testimony he had started to deliver to the court. 

14:06 The three psychiatrists had been appointed to examine Theuma's capacity to give evidence after his suicide attempt last summer. 

14:05 The conclusions of the report are read out in court. 

14:04 The magistrate expressly says that she sees nothing wrong with allowing the publication of the psychiatrists’ conclusion as to whether Melvin Theuma can testify but the rest of their testimony is not for publication. 

14:03 The psychiatrists were appointed by the court to evaluate Theuma’s mental health and determine whether he is fit to continue testifying.  

14:02 The three psychiatrists who examined pardoned murder middleman Melvin Theuma are summoned to the stand. 

14:02 Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit emerges from chambers. Inspector Shawn Pawney is appearing for the prosecution since Superintendent Keith Arnaud and Inspector Kurt Zahra are indisposed. 

14:00 Good afternoon.

Infrastructure Malta is launching the first works of the Kirkop Tunnels and Airport Intersection Project (KTAIP), an €18 million investment to upgrade the Gudja roundabout with a new underpass to Birzebbuga and a flyover to the Kirkop tunnels.

IM said the KTAIP includes the redevelopment of this critical junction of the Maltese road network to reduce travel times and accident risks to commuters travelling through the Kirkop Tunnels, to and from Kirkop, Mqabba, Qrendi, Zurrieq and Safi, whilst introducing new facilities for alternative modes of travel. It will also improve access to the Malta International Airport and to the Malta Freeport, two strategic locations for several sectors of the Maltese economy.

The agency started works on this project this week, as it nears the completion of another two major infrastructural upgrades in southern Malta, including the €20 million Santa Lucija Roundabout Underpass and the €70 million Marsa Junction Project. The KTAIP works started with excavations along the sides of the existing roundabout bypass lanes and will extend to other areas in the coming weeks. To facilitate quicker diversions during this two-year project, and to ensure uninterrupted access to all roads merging at this junction, the agency is forming a temporary roundabout at the beginning of Hal Far Road and is working with the Malta International Airport management to open a temporary entrance to the Airport's parking areas.

The Gudja roundabout is a crossroads of several arterial roads, including L-Avjazzjoni Avenue, to and from Luqa, Marsa and Qormi; Dawret il-Gudja Road, towards Gudja and Ghaxaq; Hal Far Road, to and from Hal Far, the Freeport and Birzebbuga; and L-Ewwel Titjira Road, which links the roundabout with the Kirkop Tunnels. It also includes Il-Karwija Road, leading to the Airport and Gudja.

This project will transform the roundabout into a grade-separated intersection with direct connections to and from the different routes converging at this junction, it said.
At the lower level, two new tunnels beneath the roundabout will create a direct link between the southbound and northbound carriageways of L-Avjazzjoni Avenue and Hal Far Road. These tunnels will allow road users, including heavy vehicles, travelling to and from Birzebbuga, the Freeport and the Hal Far Industrial Zone, to bypass the roundabout.

At grade, Infrastructure Malta will rebuild the existing roundabout in an improved design to facilitate access to and from Gudja, Ghaxaq and the Airport. The existing bypass lane for northbound travel from the Kirkop Tunnels to L-Avjazzjoni Avenue will also be rebuilt to continue cutting journey times along this route as well.

The third level of the intersection will incorporate a new flyover bridging the southbound carriageway of L-Avjazzjoni Avenue with L-Ewwel Titjira Road, towards the Kirkop Tunnels. Commuters heading to Kirkop, Mqabba, Qrendi, Zurrieq and Safi will no longer need to enter the roundabout to reach the Kirkop Tunnels.

By channelling three of the routes currently connected through the roundabout to the underpass and overpass lanes, Infrastructure Malta is reducing roundabout conflicts and the resulting collision risks and waiting times for thousands of road users who use this junction every day.

Through the KTAIP, Infrastructure Malta will also introduce safer facilities for alternative modes of travel. In fact, the new intersection design includes new footpaths and improved public transport amenities. It also comprises new cycle lanes and safe cycle routes that will complement the cycle lanes and the cycling and pedestrian bridge at L-Avjazzjoni Avenue and the segregated cycling and walking track at San Tumas Road and Hal Qormi Road, which Infrastructure Malta developed during the last three years. The roundabout's new design will include safer pedestrian and cycling crossings as well.

Infrastructure Malta said it drafted the plans and method statements of this project in collaboration with the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage, to ensure that the road construction and tunnel excavation works do not impact the Hal Resqun archaeological remains in the existing roundabout. These catacombs are located off the site of the new underpass and will remain accessible to archaeologists as they are today.

This investment may be co-financed by the European Union's Connecting Europe Facility and part-financed by the Cohesion Fund.

A committee that was entrusted with the evaluation of the construction sector has found that a particular practice used within the industry is 'nothing short of playing Russian roulette with the lives of third parties."

The committee was appointed by Prime Minister Robert Abela to evaluate the construction sector in Malta and assess any possible reforms required to further improve it. Abela had formed the committee soon after Miriam Pace's death on 2 March, 2020. Pace died as her Hamrun home collapsed. Excavation work was being carried out in an adjacent plot.

The report drafted by the committee (dated April 2020) was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday, while the Prime Minister spoke about a bill that would establish the Building and Construction Authority. The committee members were Chief Justice Emeritus Lawrence Quintano, lawyer Mark Simiana, geotechnical engineer Adrian Mifsud and civil engineer Mario Cassar.

The report found that certain shortcomings within the construction industry, together with some technical practices that are in common use in construction sites in Malta, should be curtailed to put people's minds at rest.

"Foremost among these is the current practice of excavating flush with the party walls, creating a vertical face of rock beneath the foundations of existing buildings. From a technical point of view, this inevitably results in significant weakening of the natural material supporting the building, irrespective of its nature (i.e. rock or soil), because lateral confinement is removed. The problem is exacerbated when the rock is fissured or when it is very weak"

The committee called the local industry's practice of "cutting the rock flush with the party wall using a trencher or a track-mounted chainsaw, prior to its bulk removal by other means," as a "very dangerous activity, which is now so commonplace that few dare to question its rationale."

It said that such cuts are often done under the pretext that these are necessary to isolate the neighbouring building from excessive vibration. "However, this is done at a time when it is not possible to identify the degree of fissuring in the rock, implying that this activity can significantly weaken the rock mass even before the actual bulk excavation has started. The state of safety of the neighbouring structures is therefore left to chance, because it is very difficult to predict the nature of the fissures before these are finally exposed. This is nothing short of playing Russian roulette with the lives of third parties."

The committee noted that this practice gained popularity because the rocks of the Maltese islands "are often sufficiently solid and unfissured to prevent collapse, but this is not always the case, as recent events have demonstrated. There is no measure of the gross reduction in factor of safety created by such activities - it is all left to pure chance. There is no measure of the inconvenience created when the foundations move (but do not collapse), compromising services and finishes of third-party properties in the process. This practice also compromises third party rights, as the adjacent property owner will be unable to utilise the common/boundary wall as a load-bearing element when considering additional floors, due to the resultant weakening of the foundations."

Another problem, the committee said, is the use of pneumatic hammers (JCBs) in hard rock. "This equipment produces a lot of vibration that is often of great detriment to third parties, both to their immediate well-being, as well as to the integrity of their property and its finishes, with subsequent lengthy Court litigation, which in most cases are ill afforded by the victims of such practices."

"The stability of third party walls and their foundations is best protected when the engineer responsible has understood what the ground is made of and how it can behave. Although ground investigation can go a long way towards obtaining such an understanding, this is often insufficient when attempting to figure out the complexity of rock mass discontinuities, in the local context."

This danger, the committee said, can be mitigated by commencing excavations from the central part of the site, such that the state of the rock mass can be understood prior to reaching the foundations of third parties. "This implies the curtailment of excavation next to party walls prior to opening up the central part of the site. The use of machines like, trenchers, chainsaws, rock-wheels, bucket excavators can be curtailed in a zone delineated by a 45 degree line starting from the statutory 2'6" (760mm) distance from the lowest and outermost point of the third-party foundations. Such machines can then be used elsewhere within the same site, since these machines can be useful if properly used. The remaining body of rock can then be removed by other less-disruptive machinery, like rotary headers, diamond wire, or expansive grout."

A number of recommendations were made to address this issue. The first is that the use of pneumatic hammer excavation equipment be restricted in certain specific sites, or specific areas in specific sites, where such use is ill-advised from the structural point of view.

The second, is to define zones in which specific excavation machinery cannot be used, to protect third parties. "Create concessions to this, as long as proper mitigation measures are in place, to encourage proper methodologies."

The third, is that excavation works should observe a distance of more than 2'6" (760 mm) from the adjacent/surrounding boundary walls, increasing at an angle of 45 degrees (or at a width to depth ratio of 1:1) depending upon the excavated depth. This would also depend on the type of rock/soil being excavated. This would be in lieu of the developer being bound to carry out underpinning/shoring in the boundary wall vicinity at his own expense, without any prejudice to third party rights. 

In addition, the committee also made a recommendation to help curb noise pollution. The committee said that excavation work should be limited during certain hours of the day in inhabited/built up areas and that works be stopped if the noise/sound pressure level measured in the properties of third parties is exceedingly high beyond the level of tolerance.

Responsibility for building projects

A number of recommendations were made in terms of responsibility for building projects. The first, is that a clarification of roles and responsibilities on site and throughout the design, excavation and construction process is required. The committee also said that the Chamber of Architects and Civil Engineers should be informed of those cases where false information has been perpetrated by periti, and empowered to take decisions about disciplinary measures.

Among other things, it recommended making contractors responsible for a Works Method statement.

Building Construction Authority

The committee noted that the Building and Construction Agency (BCA) is a temporary agency, which will eventually be absorbed by the Building and Construction Authority (not yet in existence). The committee said that the concentration of all functions related to the building industry into one central public authority "is an essential ingredient in order to achieve a functioning, advanced and regulated industry." The committee stressed the importance of the existing entities being absorbed into one central authority. The Building and Construction Authority is meant to, in some form, fulfil this role.

The Committee also called for the introduction of the concept of the "building permit", as an autonomous and independent concept from the "planning permit", which is already in existence. The process by virtue of which this new building permit is to be issued should be the central function of the recommended central authority, together with the legislation or enactment of those policies by virtue of which a building process is to be determined as being acceptable or unacceptable, and the respective enforcement of its rules, it added.

The committee also made a number of other recommendations. For example, as a temporary measure until the authority is set up, a Building Construction Unit should be established as an internal consultee within the Planning Authority, to be consulted at planning application stage rather than at post-permit/execution stage, also giving time for affected third parties to submit representations, the committee said.

It also called for the introduction of appropriate legislation to ensure proper enforcement against specified acts and to impose penalties which act as an effective deterrent. "One could also consider the criminalisation of certain breaches. In the case of development consisting in the erection of additional storeys on an existing building. the developer's Perit must produce the necessary studies to prove that the development is technically possible without causing distress to third parties. The developer's Perit becomes responsible for all consequences resultant from a breach of this duty."

The committee also suggested the introduction of the concept whereby an insurance company providing cover to the contractor or developer would be obliged to indemnify third parties, saving any right of redress it may have against the insured party as a consequence of any breach of policy.

As part of the longer-term goals, the committee suggested having the Building and Construction Authority manage and train a cohort of officers and organise their deployment on building projects. All officers should have the proper licensing (MCAST Certification in construction).

The bill currently being discussed in Parliament, that would set up the Building and Construction Authority, highlights what the functions of said authority would be.

Among other things, it will perform the functions which were previously assigned to the Building Regulation Board and the Building Regulation Office, as well of the Building and Construction Agency and the Masons Board. It will also have to issue and enforce good practice guidelines and methodologies, policies and regulations aimed towards the improvement and sustainable management of building and construction practices. It will also act as a centralised office for the receipt and processing of complaints, reports and assessment of information related to alleged breaches; and will also monitor the performance, safety and quality of buildings and constructions in Malta.

The Bill, also states that there shall be a National Building Code for the Building and Construction Industry, which shall set out the minimum standards pertaining to the sector.

The code shall aim to cover different aspects of regulation, and the improvement and sustainable management of the building and construction industry. These will include the structural integrity of sites and buildings, fire safety, site preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture, demolition and excavation practices, among others. The authority will also keep a register of service providers.

The number of new Covid-19 patients is 151 as the total active cases remain above 2,800, statistics published by the health authorities show.

One patient died, an 82-year-old woman, bringing the total of victims to 245.

The number of cases registered since 7 March is now 16,280, with 13,234 patients who recovered.

In all, 2,801 cases remain active as 180 people recovered in the last 24 hours.

The number of swab tests carried out was 3,208, for a total of 580,752.

The health authorities said that 15,316 vaccination doses have been administered until Wednesday.

Total cruise passenger traffic during the fourth quarter of 2020 amounted to 11,825, a decrease of 92.9 per cent over the corresponding period in 2019, the NSO said.

There were 16 cruise liner calls during the fourth quarter of 2020, 70 less than the previous year. Transit passengers accounted for the absolute majority of total traffic, reaching 11,695.

On average, every vessel that berthed in Malta carried 739 passengers, 1,201 less than the previous year. Passengers from EU Member States amounted to 11,239, the major markets being Italy, Germany and France.

The total number of passengers from Non-EU countries stood at 586. On a gender basis, female passengers made up 51.2 per cent of the total. The largest share of passengers fell within the 40-59 age bracket and were followed by those aged between 20 and 39 years.

January-December 2020

Total cruise passengers for 2020 stood at 59,018, a decrease of 92.3 per cent over 2019. Of these, 67.0 per cent came from EU Member States. The majority of the passengers were females amounting to 30,895 or 52.3 per cent of the total.

Most passengers were between 40 and 59 years old, totalling 19,858. These were followed by passengers aged 60-79 years, reaching 13,617. There were 32 cruise liner calls in 2020, with an average 1,844 passengers per vessel, compared to 359 calls and an average 2,133 passengers per vessel in the comparative period of 2019.

While a vaccine certificate will help resume confidence in people to travel, it’s only one aspect of a highly multifaced issue in regaining the steps to normality and opening borders. Tony Zahra, President of the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, told The Malta Business Weekly.

“The reality is we are going to struggle to have some form of the summer season in 2021.  Although calls for a vaccine passport are a positive step forward, we must also consider negative test certificates. By June this year, there will only be some 25/30% of our target markets immunised through vaccination. We cannot afford to ignore the other 75% that has not been vaccinated if we are going to have some numbers albeit much smaller then usual coming to Malta”. Zahra explained to this newsroom.

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The Government and Public Entities Section within the GWU registered an industrial dispute in favor of its members within the Public Service Works Division.

The GWU had met with management to ensure that workers performing high-risk work were paid in accordance with Public Service Management Code (PSMC). During the meeting, a verbal agreement was reached and all parties agreed on the best system to objectively capture, record and keep a record of the work done.

A few weeks later, the GWU said that another dispute arose over which forms should be used to pay these workers for work performed from September 2019 to February 2020 and from March 2020. This situation was resolved in the meeting with management.

A few days ago, the GWU said that it was informed that although an agreement was reached on all of these situations, the workers were still not paid at the rates set forth in the PSMC for several months.

As a result, the GWU said that it is filing an industrial dispute under the current collective bargaining agreement for the public sector. The GWU added that it reserves the right to take industrial action if the dispute is not resolved within eight days as stipulated in the said article.

Labour MEP Alfred Sant has questioned the implementation of the EU global strategy on Covid-19 vaccinations and said that many questions remain over the transparency of the whole deployment process of vaccines.

Under the EU Vaccines Strategy launched in June 2020, the European Commission negotiated and concluded advance purchase agreements with vaccines developers on behalf of EU countries. 

The EU covers part of the costs faced by the producers in return for the right to buy a specified amount of vaccine doses in a given timeframe and at a given price, once they are granted market authorisation. 

During a plenary debate in the European Parliament, Alfred Sant said the common EU approach on a strategy to assure the development of a Covid-19 vaccine, and the eventual immunisation of the population, was commendable and deserved across-the-board support.

Still, many doubts remain about its implementation. Complaints have arisen about the rhythm of deliveries of vaccines at a European level. Despite being major players in financing the development of a vaccine, EU countries are lagging when organizing to administer it to their populations.

“How were deals done? How are they now being revised? And what constraints were allowed to pre-empt manufacture of the vaccine by a wider range of players in the market? Has it been a simple case of accepting that under free market rules, pharmaceutical companies needed to maintain exclusive rights on the production of vaccines? And what is the plan for a timely worldwide distribution of the vaccines?”, Alfred Sant asked.

In the current public health scenario worldwide, an anti-Covid vaccine cannot but be considered as a public good. Like it or not, it’s a war, Alfred Sant said. If needed to secure the means to win the war, all private goods become public.

A 28-year-old man was grievously injured this morning in a traffic accident in St. Paul’s Bay, police said.

Police said that the man, who is Italian, was riding a Honda motorcycle was in a traffic crash with a Hyundai i20 being driven by a 53-year-old Englishman.

The incident happened in Triq il-Mosta in St. Paul’s Bay.

The motorcyclist was taken to Mater Dei Hospital and later certified as being grievously injured.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Ian Borg addressed the first Transport Foundation board meeting during which prospective plans for the transport sector were discussed.

Minister Ian Borg congratulated each one of the members and delivered a message in favour of proactivity and unity in order to reach the success that the transport sector deserves.

“The transport sector has been and still remains a major pillar of contribution to our economy. Despite the challenges brought by the pandemic, it was this sector, among others, that helped keep our economic wheel turning and our country operating normally. These meetings will be essential in order to offer viability, sustainability and safety to the transport sector. This foundation will be instrumental in building that sense of intermodality in the people. It is a priority for this Government to reach its vision in terms of transport both on the basis of objectives scheduled for 2030 and the 2050 strategies for the adoption of greener and cleaner modes of transport and I believe that these meetings will be another step that will lead to this, ”said Minister Ian Borg.

This foundation will be improving the skills of current and future employees of this sector, will be gradually, but steadily, building a portfolio of initiatives that reflect the impact of new technologies in the field, and will be working with various stakeholders in order to be an important source which discloses information about new technologies to the general public.

With this foundation all aspects of the transport sector will be discussed and addressed including subjects such as the help required for people with mobility challenges in order to have an easier and smoother experience.

One of the foundation’s aims is to partner and engage with international stakeholders in order to build a strong relationship and create a dynamic network where research and innovation are key practices which will ultimately lead to more positive results and improvements in the transport sector.