Following an announcement by Valletta Cultural Agency Jason Micallef that cultural events, from nightclubs to entertainment venues, will be ruled out for 2021, Hugo’s group CEO and Managing Director Luke Chetcuti spoke out on the situation to express his concern about the ‘ridiculousness’ of the situation. He stated that said venues had been kept in the dark with no help whatsoever for about a year. Despite boasting vaccine rollout, Chetcuti said that other countries with a less advanced rollout have already designed a direction for the industry.

Addressing the authorities, Chetcuti argued that ‘locking up’ people and keeping venues boarded up, people will still find ways of partying in unregulated environments with an easier chance of COVID-19 spread. ‘Isn’t it better to allow licensed establishments to host people in a regulated environment with checks being done daily by authorities rather than people doing as they wish in homes?’ he asked. He concluded by saying that this is a huge blow to the industry, considering that one of the main reasons tourists visit the island is the entertainment.

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