Doctors & hoteliers have mixed reactions to Malta's airport possibly re-opening in July
Reports of MIA opening in July circled this morning.
Earlier today, reports of Malta’s airport re-opening in July were making the rounds. A source spoke to Times of Malta about the situation, confirming that the plan is expected to go ahead, so long as the number of cases remains stable.
In reaction, doctors have welcomed this July date, while hoteliers are demanding an earlier one, considering the tough blow the tourism sector has experienced. President of the Medical Association of Malta, Martin Balzan reportedly said this move is a “more cautious approach.”
“I know Malta depends on tourism, but I’m glad to see more weight is being given to health,” he shares with Times of Malta. “I know this decision will not help hotel and restaurant owners, but we’ll have to monitor the numbers of COVID-19 cases being reported over the next month and a half, and see if it’s still the right decision to reopen closer to the time.”
On the other hand, President of Malta’s Hotel and Restaurant Association Tony Zahra strongly opposes the mid-July date and asks for an earlier one. "Waiting until July is simply not acceptable as we will miss the summer. Other countries like Greece, Cyprus and Spain are reopening in June, so why can't we?" he said in comments to Times of Malta.
Mr Zahra notes that the hotel industry has been destroyed, not to mention many people in this sector are out of jobs. And while financial aid has been welcomed, MHRA’s president said that reopening of MIA will ease pressure.
"I don't want to get into another argument about health versus wealth. But I think we can open the airport in a responsible way and use certain protocols like we have been doing in restaurants. We have thousands of people employed in these industries, we can't stay closed forever."