COVID-19 measures in Netherlands tighten again due to spike

Nov 3 2021

As coronavirus cases in Netherlands shoot up, the prime minister has announced on Tuesday that the Dutch government is reinstituting an order to wear ace masks in public places such as stores and libraries, along with extending mandatory use of COVID-19 passes. The number of cases have spiked rapidly in the Netherlands for weeks, with the country’s public health institute reporting on Tuesday that confirmed infections rose 39% compared to the week before.

Hospital admissions were up 31% to 834 with a 20% increase in the number of patients admitted to ICU. The upward trend began after the government halted the remaining lockdown restrictions in late September. Prime Minister Rutte said during a press conference that it won’t surprise anybody that a tough message needs to be announced yet again. ‘Tough because we unfortunately have to ask more of people now that the infection numbers and hospital numbers are rising quickly.’

Rutte urged everyone to work from home at least half the time, to socially distance and to avoid travel to busy places and during rush hours. Students too will have to wear face masks at school when they walk between classes. Museums and theme parks will have to require people showing COVID passes as well.

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Mums’ Christmas gift initiative is teaching kids the value of ‘giving’

Nov 3 2021

A Christmas initiative by the name of Toys for Tots Malta, launched two weeks ago, has already reached around 1,500 supporters as it seeks to make the Christmas of kids all across Malta a very special one. An initiative brain-child of three mothers, the aim is to teach little ones from a young age the values of compassion and kindness to one another through example. ‘Receiving gifts is nice but GIVING is much more rewarding! says Alison Amato Lowell, one of the mums who created the initiative.

So how does it work? One has to first choose a wish or a gift – these can be checked for on the wish list, where people can book with their name, mobile number and tag number via a private message. The second step involves experience, as the initiative encourages those who care for kids (whether its a son/daughter, nephew/niece, grandchild, etc.) to go shopping and explain why the value of giving is so important. ‘Let them help you choose the gift for this special’, with the organizers encouraging those who take upon the task to share photos and videos of the kind gesture.

Next, wrap up the gift, get it labelled (following the guidelines) and then drop it off to one of the verified locations. The gifts are dropped off at a Maypole shop in different localities around Malta and Gozo between Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 14:00. Finally, one simply needs to spread the word and share this wonderful initiative. The latest drop off date will be the 1st of December, after which gifts will be sorted and distributed accordingly just in time for Christmas.

There are several organizations and entities helping in this initiative, including ‘Dar Merhba Bik, Dar Santa Bakhita, Fondazzjoni Sebh, The Church Schools Children’s Fund, Mater Dei’s Disneyland, Wonderland and Fairyland wards, The Young People’s Unit at Mount Carmel Hospital, Richmond Foundation (KIDS Programme) and AWAS Malta amongst others. Along with Gianella Giordano and Melinda Agius, Alison seeks to make this festive season a special one where no kid is left behind and teach them the wonderful values of giving.

If you are interested, you can find more information here.

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WATCH: Keith Demicoli becomes an uncle to baby Luigi Antonio

Nov 3 2021

Local news personality Keith Demicoli has just become the uncle to baby Luigi Antonio – and he is overjoyed! Posting to Instagram, Demicoli began his post by first sharing his previous reaction, caught on video, as he discovered that he was about to have a nephew. Unpacking a gift, mugs gifted to him and his wife Alexia Demicoli, his reaction back in the 21st of Mach 2021 was as priceless and as wholesome as you might imagine. Fast forward to the 1st of November 2021, and baby Luigi Antionio was born to Keith’s brother Fabian Demicoli and his wife Sarah.

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The post, which captures several moments from the revelation of the pregnancy to the actual birth, was received with intense joy bymany, congratulating the entire family for the new birth. But nothing could come close to Keith’s reaction, who was in disbelief for most of the reveal video, having to also process it for a brief second on his own. The mugs gifted to Keith and Alexia had the words ‘Dear Uncle, exemplary and unique’ and ‘For a fabulous auntie: you mean the world to me’. Keith, in a message directed to baby Luigi Antonio, said that he is very lucky to have Sarah and Fabian as his parents. Congratulations to the entire family from all of us!

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Malta headlines as one of the COVID safest winter countries

Nov 3 2021

Malta has once again made international headlines, and this time, its due to it being one of the safest places in Europe to visit during the winter as another COVID-19 wave surges. According to international newsroom ‘The Telegraph’, our island joins Portugal in being the safest places in Europe for the upcoming winter, with expert leading disease monitoring across the continent. A new wave of infections is sweeping Western Europe and the UK, but Malta and Portugal will be avoiding the spike due to the high rate of vaccination.

Dr. Bruno Ciancio, director of surveillance at the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC), said in a Telegraph interview that there are three epidemiological trends emerging across Europe, dictating how countries will fare this winter.

He highlighted how the critical factor in all this is vaccination, saying that the pandemic will be driven more and more by those who did not receive their jab. He said the countries most likely to avoid a substantial resurgence are Malta and Portugal as they have fully immunized more than 80% of their total population. Most other countries, like the UK, fall into a second tier where overall vaccination rates are around 60 to 80%.

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