Restoration works of St. Mary Chapel in Safi unveiled

Aug 13 2022

The extensive restoration works, undertaken by the Restoration Directorate, on the St. Mary Chapel in Safi have been completed with an investment of €100,000.

This chapel is one of the projects chosen from the Local Councils Restoration Scheme. Since the launching of the scheme in 2015, 30 projects have been completed across Malta, and another ten are at the implementation stage.

During the Press Conference, Minister for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government Owen Bonnici thanked the workers of the Restoration Directorate for their work in favour of historical buildings.

Dr Bonnici said: “Projects like this continue to clearly show the Government’s commitment to the cultural heritage in our localities. These areas should be accessible for everyone, so we can continue preserving the historical, cultural and intangible heritage they contain”.

Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government Alison Zerafa Civelli stated that the restoration works on the Santa Maria Chapel reflect the commitment of the Restoration Directorate workers.

“I encourage more Local Councils to submit their applications for the Local Council Restoration Scheme to preserve and safeguard Maltese Cultural Heritage while strengthening the value of our localities in order to continue attracting more tourists, both local and foreign”, she claimed.

The Chapel dedicated to Saint Mary was built in 1761 by the Architect Angelo Bonnici and replaced another chapel dated back to the 16th century. It is located in the heart of Safi, far from the Parish church.

All the works, starting from site documentation to Planning permit applications to subsequent site works, were carried out by the Restoration Directorate.

The interventions consisted mainly in the cleaning of the main façade, side elevation, roof and dome from biological growth, opening of defective joints and pointing with a lime-based mortar, replacement of deteriorated stone and lime injection behind the stone replaced in earlier interventions, removal of the exiting zokklatura and cement renders and replacing them with a breathable (macroporous) render, closing of cracks to stop water infiltration, making good of the deffun roof and dome and structural consolidation of the main doorway.

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Outrage after Munxar residents asked to not feed stray cats

Aug 13 2022

Residents of Munxar expressed their disappointment after a letter was sent to a resident in the area which informed them to stop feeding stray cats due to large amount of strays.

The letter sparked some outrage, prompting a Facebook post which rhetorically asked whether feeding the cats and cleaning up afterwards have become against the law.

Many urged the person to keep feeding the strays, with a follow-up post by the local council later issued to the public clarifying the situation.

The local council said that it was never its intention to stop cat feeders from doing so. However, despite cat feeders deserving praise for their charitable actions, ‘it is the duty of the local council to also address complaints and find solutions.’

‘In fact, with complete collaboration with the Animal Welfare, the local council has already installed a cat shelter in the locality.’

The statement highlighted that the local council had long been receiving complaints that cat feeding was occurring in a particular roundabout and that it was not being cleaned up afterwards. This despite the signage put up to remind feeders to clean up afterwards.

‘Unfortunately, the situation continue to escalate and this led to further complaints and disagreements in between residents. For this reason, the local council is committed to find an adequate place for the cat feeding to occur and not in one of the busiest roads of the town.’

The statement also posted photos of the very same evening, showing remains of cat food left outside and not cleaned up. What do you make of the situation?

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Lowest COVID positivity and death rate since March after spike

Aug 13 2022

Malta’s COVID-19 positivity rate has dropped down significantly to its lowest figure since March 2022.

According to EU data and ECDC weekly reports, the rate is at just 5.9%, making it also the lowest in Europe. The plummet follows a spike of over 40%, which was a record since the pandemic hit in 2020.

The positivity rate, which deals with number of infections detected from total number of tests conducted, dropped to 5% in March before starting to rise.

The spike was cut short earlier in July, easing the strain off of medical staff. Health authorities are carrying out around 1,000 tests daily, as the hospital admission rate also drops to 4.1 patients per 100,000.

The country’s death rate in terms of COVID-19 is also no longer the highest in the European zone, but still remains in the top few. In the week reviewed, the death rate stood at 42.6 deaths per 1 million people.

Malta has currently registered a total of 797 deaths, with over 113,000 cases. 111,708 of those recovered, with at least 1.33 million doses of the COVID vaccine administered. Around 470,000 are fully vaccinated (89.6% of population).

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No one injured as three balconies collapse in Marsaskala

Aug 13 2022

Thankfully, no one was injured in an incident which occurred in Triq iż-Żonqor, Marsaskala wherein three balconies collapsed onto the road.

Marsaskala mayor Mario Calleja took to social media and reported the incident to the police, with Civil Protection also getting involved on the case.

A police spokesperson revealed to TVM News that they received the report at around 2045hrs on Friday, explaining that a balcony collapsed and took down two other balconies beneath it.

A car bonnet was also damaged due to the debris. Enemalta was informed to ensure that there is no other potential hazards in the area, but people were still urged to avoid the area for safety.

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