Free meal offer for Malta’s vaccinated receives backlash

Jul 21 2021

Planet Hollywood, a popular St. Julian’s restaurant, announced yesterday that any vaccinated people will be getting a meal for free. This offer however, which sees every fourth main course that is ordered by vaccinated people given for free, raised social media uproar. Many called the offer, which is valid from Monday to Thursday, discriminatory whilst others questioned how the establishment treats its unvaccinated staff.

Such initiatives are not new as many campaigns, both locally and internationally, were launched in order to incentivise people to receive their jab. Hermanos offered free sides to vaccinated people last May, with other international companies going as far as tying the prize to lotteries. The restaurant did clarify that it still serves and caters to all, with the offer simply being an incentive to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

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Photo Source: Planet Hollywood Malta FB

Average of 43 vehicles licensed per day in Malta

Jul 21 2021

Latest statistics by the National Statistics Office show that the number of licensed motor vehicles in Malta is increasing by an average of 43 per day. Concerning the second quarter of 2021, June’s end had a stock of 408,205 licensed motor vehicles. 76.2% of these were passenger cars whilst 13.8% were commercial motor vehicles. 8.9% were motorcycles and All-Terrain vehicles, with buses and minibuses amounting to less than 1%.

Newly licensed motor vehicles taken to Maltese roads during the second quarter racked up to 5,887. 56.8% of the total new licensed motor vehicles were passenger cars. During the second quarter of 2021, 7,824 vehicles were taken off the road due to restrictions. At the end of June, 59.2% of the total motor vehicles had petrol powered engines, with diesel-powered vehicles reaching 38.3%. Electric and hybrid motor vehicles accounted for just 2% of the entire stock.

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Photo Source: Holidays in Malta

199 COVID-19 cases registered with 30 recoveries

Jul 21 2021

Malta has registered 199 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours from 3,976 swab tests, while 30 patients have recovered. No deaths were registered in the past 24 hours. This information was announced by the official Facebook page of Malta’s Ministry for Health.

As of Tuesday 20th July 2021, 730,483 vaccine doses were administered of which 387,329 were 1st doses. 360,880 people are currently fully vaccinated.

To date, Malta has registered 33,032 COVID-19 cases in total, of which: 30,266 have recovered, 420 died and 2346 are still active.

Mater Dei Hospital is currently treating a total of 15 COVID-19 positive patients, one of which is in the ITU. Of yesterday’s 217 reported cases, 167 were between ages of 10 and 39. The average age of yesterday’s cases was 27.

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Photo Source: Charmaine Gauci

September 2021 school reopening uncertain

Jul 21 2021

With the new scholastic year restarting end of September or beginning of October, doubts as to whether students will be attending school physically have been raised. As the COVID-19 cases register a new spike in daily and active cases, the possibility of online classes for yet another scholastic year is becoming more and more probable. iNews Malta contacted the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) and the Professional Educator Union (UPE) to get their latest updates on the current situation.

Both organisations stated that it is still too early to give their position on the reopening of schools. The organisations also stated that they are closely observing the epidemiological situation and gathering the necessary data to make any further decisions. Online learning has already shaped the world’s educational process, including Malta’s. This might have immense impact on learning overall, well beyond the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Photo Source: Pixabay