Updated 8.50pm, adds MHRA statement
The latest COVID-19 measures announced on Thursday afternoon are “weak, belated and reactive” and do little to address the “true problem” stemming from lack of enforcement, workers’ associations decried.
Reacting to the series of measures unveiled by Prime Minister Robert Abela, which include restaurants being shut and limits on gatherings and contact sports, the Association of Catering Establishments (ACE) said: “the government in its PR exercise has made a sacrificial lamb out of restaurants”.
In a harsh statement, the association accused the health authorities of bullying small micro enterprises without addressing the real problem. It was easy for them to attack the small entrepreneurs rather than address the bullies. Catering establishments, bars and clubs have been the continuous target of the health authorities showing that the ministry is very weak in handling the situation and has no real adequate strategy,” ACE sai
Catering industry joins calls for more pro-active enforcement
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Bar owners expected more than the amount they were given to make up for the months they had to close shop, although they admit “it was better than nothing at all”.
Others were satisfied, saying that, when added to other benefits from schemes such as those covering rent, utility tariffs and employees’ wages, the latest assistance was of great help.
The government last week announced new COVID-19 mitigation measures that include an extension on the closure of bars throughout February, a €2.2 million aid package for bar owners and an 11pm curfew for restaurants.
Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo announced that bars can apply for a one-time payment of up to €2,870 to offset five months of shutdown.
It is unfair to hold owners of self-catering accommodation responsible for overcrowding in their properties, the Gozo Tourism Association (GTA) has said.
The association spoke out ahead of new, as yet unannounced, measures to target carnival weekend amid a demand for holiday bookings on the island.
“The majority of the licensed self-catering operators are booking their units according to their licensed number of beds. It has always been the concern of the self-catering operators how to control the number of booked people in the rented property and those actually staying in,” the GTA said.
Earlier this month,
Times of Malta reported how accommodation owners were recording high numbers of requests for booking over the February 12-14 weekend.
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