Retail businesses want the government to issue vouchers that can be spent in their shops before it distributes those that apply to hotels and restaurants.
“They cannot wait any longer. Retail outlets need strong consumption to make up the losses they have suffered over the last six weeks,” the CEO of the Malta Chamber of SMEs, Abigail Mamo, said.
Non-essential shops and services, such as hairdressers, beauty shops, clothes shops and florists, are being allowed to reopen on Monday as pandemic restrictions are cautiously eased on the island.
“Businesses have been gearing up and preparing for weeks to reopen and they need the vouchers to help boost sales,” Mamo told Times of Malta.