COVID self-testing finally made legal in Malta

Apr 4 2022

COVID-19 self-testing is officially set to become legal in Malta this week as Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne relaxes further measures as he undergoes quarantine.

The Health minister announced the news to TVAM hosts Pablo Micallef and Mario Xuereb over the phone, but went on to announce further pandemic related measures.

The minister said that those travelling to Malta from a country on the red list will be allowed in with a negative PCR test or a recovery certificate.

Children will also no longer be required to wear a mask in schools after the 13th of April, while a second booster will be offered to the most vulnerable. He went on to note how the number of cases in the community increased over recent days.

The seven-day moving average is currently that of 640 new cases daily. However, ITU cases remain relatively low, with just five people in the ITU receiving treatment for the virus.

Other than that, standing events outdoors will not require a vaccine certificate as of the April 10th, and there will not be a capping on the number of people allowed in the same crowd.

#MaltaDaily

More nominations by candidates submitted for casual elections

Apr 3 2022

Five new combinations have been received by the Electoral Commission for the causal election process as vacated seats are set to be filled by MPs elected on two districts.

Labour’s James Grech submitted two nominations for 2nd and 3rd districts, followed by Herbert Conti for the 4th district. General election candidates are allowed to contest in two voting districts but must then drop their seat in one of them.

Vacant sats are filled by reviewing the ballot papers of the Mp that vacated the seat and then distributing the reference votes to unelected candidates. Nominations can be received util Tuesday at noon with the casual elections held on Thursday.

Elections will be held in the 2nd district for the seat ceded by Clyde Caruana, on the 3rd for one dropped by Owen Bonnici, 4th (Chris Fearne), 5th (Robert Abela), 6th (Ian Borg), 7th (Silvio Schembri), 9th (Michael Falzon and Clifton Grima) and 11th (Miriam Dalli).

The PL had only five candidates contesting the ninth district, with two of the remaining three being elected in other districts. These two are Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi and Edward Zammit Lewis. Rebecca Buttigieg was automatically elected into parliament.

The Prime Minister nominated Randolph Debattista for the remaining vacant seat, with the decision endorsed by the party executive. Casual elections for the PN will also have to take place.

#MaltaDaily

All of Qatar’s eight World Cup stadiums are fully air conditioned

Apr 3 2022

As the showcase draws nearer, all of Qatar’s eight World Cup stadiums have been equipped with fully-functional air conditioning.

With the World Cup taking place in winter for the first time ever due to the red hot climate in the Middle Eastern Country, the average temperatures in June and July are usually around 42 degrees Celsius.

The matches have thus been moved to November and December to make sure that the field and the stadium aren’t boiling hot. However, winter temperatures are still steaming in Qatar at around 24 degrees Celsius. This lead to the introduction of measures to further cool the stadia for players and fans.

Air-conditioning has been installed in every stadium, pumping in cool air through the grills in the stands and nozzles on the pitch. The technology, which involves the use of solar energy, was developed with assistance by Qatar University.

‘We are not just cooling the air, we’re cleaning it’ said Dr Saud Abdulaziz Abdul Ghani, a professor at the College of Engineering. ‘We’re purifying the air for spectators. For example, people who have allergies won’t have problems inside our stadiums as we have the cleanest and purest air there is’ he said.

This way, the only things that will be heating up will be the matches themselves as teams try to get their hands on the renowned trophy this winter.

#MaltaDaily

Pope Francis issues warning against hypocrisy during Floriana Mass

Apr 3 2022

Addressing his long-awaited mass at the Granaries in Floriana, which was attended by 12,000 people, Pope Francis urged people to not discard those ‘despised by society’ and warned against hypocrisy.

Thanking the Maltese for their warm and affectionate welcome during his two day visit to the island, the 85-year-old pontiff recalled the welcome of the Apostle Paul and urged people give better treatment of modern day arrivals on the island.

The pope also recalled a Biblical story about a woman caught in adultery and urged people to have mercy and to warn those who act as God’s defenders not to judge others.

Those who accused others of sin, he said, were merely disregarding their own faults and are overly concerned about the sins of others. ‘How can we prove whether or not we are true disciples of the Master’ he asked.

He said that we do so by the way we regard our neighbour and the way we regard ourselves. He said that we are to treat outsiders with mercy and not judgement as those who acted as God’s defenders in the Gospel story did so through judgement.

‘Those who believe they are upholding the faith by pointing their finger at others may have a certain ‘religiosity’, but they have not embraced the spirit of the Gospel, for they disregard mercy, which is the heart of God.’

Archbishop Charles Scicluna thanked the Pope for the visit at the end of the Mass, going on to present him with a painting by John Martin Borg depicting the woman mentioned in the gospel.

#MaltaDaily