Malta’s new mask-wearing measure met with wave of negative reactions

Dec 9 2021

Earlier today, Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne announced that as from Saturday, masks are to be worn in open public spaces in an attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19. This comes in light of the sudden surge of the Omicron COVID-19 variant across Europe, despite no cases being registered in Malta so far.

While welcomed by some, the decision was met with a wave of negative reactions from others. One commenter stated that while the vaccines and booster were necessary, they are frustrated with the fact that despite receiving the jabs, they were met with ‘nonsensical rules’ and mask-wearing.

Another commenter sarcastically alluded to the fact that in December 2020, they were told to take the vaccine in order to get their life back and in December 2021, they were told to receive the booster to get their life back along with having to wear the masks, stating that they feel they were made a fool of.

Malta has also seen a recent rise in COVID-19 cases, currently having 1336 active cases with 83 new cases reported today.

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“No one has ever become poor by giving;” Runners collecting money to buy shoes for kids in need

Dec 9 2021

Of all the activities to emerge during the festive season, the fact that all of Malta comes together to help those in need is amongst the most beautiful. Amongst the many other charitable efforts going on at the moment, two local runners are doing their utmost to help kids “run after their dreams in a new pair of shoes” and we’re all for it.

Speaking to Malta Daily, runner Daniel Mangion stated that he and his partner Greg Degabriele came up with the idea to collect money and buy running shoes for children in need at various institutions and on December 20, they will gather all the money together and purchase as much shoes as possible.

Mangion stated that the inspiration for this campaign came due to the fact that both he and Degabriele come from a running background and have an obsession for shoes. “We wanted to share the joy a pair of brand new running shoes gives us with kids who are less fortunate… after all, who doesn’t like shoes?”

The two have since surpassed the €2,500 mark and have huge local shoe retailers like Teamsport, Eurosport and Garmin Malta on board. You can donate by sending the money on Revolut at +356 99828239.

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Children in Malta aged 5-11 to will start being vaccinated as of next Tuesday

Children aged 5-11 to start being vaccinated as of next Tuesday

Dec 9 2021

During a press conference addressed by Deputy Prime Minister & Health Minister Chris Fearne earlier today, it was revealed that vaccines for children aged between 5 and 11 years old will start being administered as of next Tuesday.

Priority will be given to vulnerable children and parents will begin to receive invitations via telephone, SMS or by post. Reacting to a question of whether or not vaccination should be mandatory, the minister stated that due to Malta’s high vaccination uptake, there is not need for such an action as of yet.

During the conference, it was also revealed that as of Saturday, it will be mandatory for masks to be worn in open public spaces. This decision was taken in order to mitigate the spread of the heavily-mutated Omicron variant which is currently surging in various countries.

Yesterday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson encouraged citizens to work from home where possible and made vaccine passports mandatory across England.

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Masks to be worn in open public spaces as of Saturday, says Chris Fearne

Dec 9 2021

In a press conference addressed by Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne earlier today, it was revealed that as from Saturday, everyone must wear masks in open public spaces.

Fearne stated that wearing masks and receiving the vaccine booster is effective to contain the spread of COVID-19, going on to highlight that such a measure is also applicable when walking in public alone. The minister also announced that the waiting time between the second and third dose of the vaccine will be decreased from six months to four months. This is due to an observation of “reduced immunity and breakthrough infections.”

However, Fearne also revealed that booster shots using Pfizer of Moderna have proven effective in containing the Omicron variant. Despite this, and the government not having any plans to introduce any new COVID-19 restrictions, he appealed to the public to respect the current restrictions such as limiting the size of gatherings during the Christmas period.

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