Airport queues a safety concern due to COVID say aviation heads

Mar 24 2022

Head of civil aviation flagged safety concerns raised over ling queues at Malta International Airport caused due to COVID-19 checks.

Charles Pace urged authorities to rethink this system to avoid anymore chaos during the upcoming season, which is set to be very busy. He said that if we were to stop every person flying in to scan all documents we could encounter a safety issue.

‘The last thing I need as a regulator at the airport are queues all over the placed that spread out onto the apron’ he said. Pace was addressing question by Times of Malta after chaos at the airport arrivals lounge was reported.

Very similar calls were made on Thursday by airport CEO Alan Borg, who went a step further and asked authorities to lift all travel related restrictions. He said Malta’s travel requirements and checks are some of the most inconvenient and unfriendly in all the European Union.

‘Are we really going to risk missing out on another summer season. What are we waiting for’ asked Borg. Pace insisted on Thursday that he was not asking authorities to do away with all measures but instead find solutions which protect people’s safety whilst keeping industry in mind.

He added that due to the majority of people in Malta being vaccinated with a booster, the authorities might want to consider not checking the documents of those who live on the island since they would likely be fully vaccinated.

Malta Air CEO David O’Brien also noted that while it is not his place to tell the authorities what to do, he still believed that it was time to reconsider the measures.

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Both political leaders say the only survey that counts is the election itself

Mar 24 2022

Both political party leaders are stressing that the only survey that counts is the actual general election on the 26th of March 2022.

Prime Minister Robert Abela told his followers to ‘forget the surveys. The only one which matters and is real is the one on the 26th of March.’

Speaking in Valletta, the Prime Minister said that the choice is between a serious and united Labour Party and a divided Nationalist Party.

On his part, Opposition leader Bernard Grech also reiterated that the only survey that counts is that vote which comes to an end on Saturday 10:00pm. Despite surveys indicating a loss for Grech, the Opposition leader said that he is sure that people have heard the PN’s message.

‘This election is neither about the PN and neither about me’ said Grech. ‘The election is about the Maltese people and their future.’

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PN candidate Ivan J. Bartolo breaks down new sectors

Mar 24 2022

PN candidate Ivan J. Bartolo broke down 5 of the 10 new economic sectors pledged by the PN with a high tech presentation.

In a futuristically-themed slideshow video, the politician appeals to his listeners by highlighting how he, like all the young citizens of Malta, has a dream.

He takes us back to when he was a teen with big dreams to start a business and craft a meaningful life. Bartolo said that he knows the Maltese youth have their own life purposes, and said that the 10 new economic sectors pledged by the Opposition can make these a reality.

In the video, Bartolo focused on 5 of the sectors, among them AI and the metaverse. Bartolo also spoke about how other sectors will increase due diligence but in a way which is not invasive to all the business blooming on the island.

Echoing a Martin Luther King Jr speech, Bartolo said that he has a dream to create a landscape of opportunities ‘with you, for you.’

’The point of departure is the 26th of March. We need to cast a vote and we need to make sure that the vote is for the Maltese flag’ he said.

Bartolo himself is the founder of multiple successful technological companies which offer their services to some of the biggest brands in the world. The candidate was also the one who gave up his parliamentary seat to make way for current leader Bernard Grech.

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Blood donor age limit increased to 70 years

Mar 24 2022

The age limit for people who can donate blood has been raised to 70 years of age. The limit being previously 68, nurse Tony Micallef revealed that it was donors themselves who wished the age limit to be raised.

Micallef, a nurse who co-ordinates the National Transfusion Service, told tvmnews.mt that the continuous need for blood prompted the decision.

This is the fourth time the age limit for blood donors has been raised, starting at 63, raised to 65 and then 68. Last year, around 92 donations were made by people aged between 66 and 67 years old.

However, Micallef said that with this decision to raise the limit they are still not expecting more than 90 more donors yearly. Asked whether there are conditions linked to the increased age limit, Micallef said that donors must be healthy and should have been giving blood regularly at least once a year.

This is common practice in countries like UK, Ireland, France and Italy, said Micallef, for donors to be up to 70 years old.

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