An increase of around 7500 pleasure boats since 2012

Sep 15 2021

Malta has seen a rapid increase in pleasure crafts from 2012, shooting up to 23,133 in 2021 from 15,375 in 2012. This translates to an increase of 50.5%, including everything from yachts, which can navigate outside Maltese waters. The number of yachts alone doubled from 2,733 in 2012 to 5,515 in 2021.

The pandemic year showed that many spent their savings on boats, which in turn marked lower spendings due to lockdowns and other restrictions. The data was provided to MaltaToday by Transport Malta. 1,196 new boats were registered in 2021, bringing up the total to 5.5% over 2020. This is the sharpest increase in the past ten years.

A 9% increase in the number of boats which can navigate outside Maltese waters was also noted. Numbers in this category shot up from 5,053 in 2020 to 5,515 in 2021. The number of boats restricted to Maltese waters also went up by 734 over 2020’s figures.

The newsroom was not provided with a breakdown of how many boats were owned by Maltese residents and how many were owned by non-residents. The increase in boats show however how those who can secure a quiet spot due to Malta’s beaches becoming more crowded will do so. This phenomenon is still however contributing to over-crowding of spots like Comino.

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Photo Source: Sail Magazine

Denmark first in EU to lift all COVID-19 restrictions

Sep 15 2021

Denmark is set to be the first EU country to go back to pre-pandemic life this Friday as it lifts all remaining COVID-19 restrictions. Health Minister Magnus Heunicke tweeted this week, crediting the vaccines and the ‘great efforts of all of Denmark’s citizens over such a long period’ as the foundation for why the country is going strong. No COVID pass will be required to enter restaurant, night-clubs or other establishments as kids too no longer requiring to be sent home if they come into close contact with a confirmed case.

Quarantines are left only for those who are infected. The country scrapped the mask requirement for public transit on August 13th, and will now go on to fully seal the deal of measure easing. Almost three quarters of adults are fully vaccinated and COVID-19 hospitalisations are low, with a high level of trust in authorities reported. In fact, the word samfundssind, which translates to ‘social mindedness’, has become a bit of a buzzword in Denmark. Elsewhere in Europe, trust in governments to deal with the pandemic is significantly lower, leading to lower vaccination rates.

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Photo Source: Schengen Visa, Anna Shvets

Campaign against influenza to introduce spray vaccinations for kids

Sep 15 2021

Addressing a press conference, Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne announced that the campaign of vaccination against influenza will be kicked off in the second half of October. The minister reported how in 2020, a record breaking 180,000 influenza vaccinations were administered and that 200,000 more are ordered for the next rollout.

Fearne also announced that, in order to push for more vaccinations against the virus, a spray will be introduced for children which will replace the jab. This will hopefully incentivise more people to get immunised against influenza. This campaign will work side by side with the COVID-19 vaccination campaign which has seen 91% of those eligible fully vaccinated.

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Photo Source: Health Magazine, Sahha FB

Relaxed measures for establishments who choose to welcome only vaccinated individuals

Sep 15 2021

In a press conference addressed by Health Minister Chris Fearne earlier today at Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre, a number of amendments to the current COVID-19 measures were reported. This include changes to measures regarding quarantine from dark-red countries, establishments restrictions and more.

Establishments who have voluntarily decided that they will only welcome vaccinated individuals will have a relaxed set of COVID-19 restrictions.

Measures may include eased restrictions such as less distance between tables and the possibility extended opening and closing times. A legal tender will be published in the coming days which will reveal further details regarding the relaxing of measures.

You can watch the full press conference below:

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