9 medical associations are “strongly and publicly” calling for revocation of mass events permits
They released a joint statement today.
A number of medical associations are coming together, reportedly joining a call by the doctors’ union to ban mass events with immediate effect. This comes as a spike in cases was seen over the weekend as a result of mass gatherings.
In a statement today, the associations said they are “strongly and publicly calling on the government to revoke all permits for mass events.” They also added that the government should “prioritise the health and wellbeing of the whole nation over the economic interests of a minority,” urging authorities to be more attentive to those in the public health sector when formulating policies.
“After months of restrictions to contain the spread of the COVID pandemic, we were pleased to note the progressive return to a new normality, that struck the balance between the economic needs of the country and the mitigation measures that will continue to contain the virus,” they said.
“This balance is essential to ensure that this important recovery is not jeopardised and the low number of active cases registered in the last few weeks is a testimony to the success of this approach. Importantly, many health services that had to be postponed or suspended during the COVID crisis have been restored to the benefit of our patients and the population at large.”
The associations also expressed “grave concern” in light of the recent spike in cases which resulted from recent mass gatherings. “In the weeks to come there are several such events planned, that will bring together tens of thousands of revellers, in a context where mitigation measures are difficult to implement.”
“As we have seen, these events have the potential to result in large surges of cases which are more difficult to contain and risk compromising all the gains that have been made through our collective sacrifice at the early stages of the pandemic.”
The statement was signed by: Association of Anaesthesiology of Malta (AAM), Association of Emergency Physicians of Malta (AEPM), Association of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgeons of Malta (AOTSM), Association of Private Family Doctors (APFD), Association of Surgeons of Malta (ASM), Maltese Association of Opthalmologists (MAO), Maltese Association of Otolaryngologists and Head and Neck Surgeons, Maltese Association of Radiologists and Nuclear Medicine Physicians (MARNMP), Maltese Paediatric Association (MPA).