The Malta College of Pathologists is calling for stricter enforcement considering Malta’s current COVID-19 situation. The islands have broken the record of daily number of cases three times in a matter of days, and it is expected to do so once again today.

The College is suggesting measures such as the temporary closure of non-essential services, an emphasis on online learning, prohibiting the mixing of families and reducing the amount of people allowed to gather together, as it is raising concerns about Malta’s grim situation.

Other associations including the MHRA and the President of the Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure division with the SME Chamber, have also called for more enforcement during this time.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Robert Abela excluded the possibility of a lockdown, saying that people’s livelihoods depend on certain commercial establishments and that there needs to be a balance.  "I continue to believe that the decision should be not to enter lockdown and maintain a balance between health and people's livelihood,” he said yesterday. New measures are also expected to be announced soon.

Health Minister Chris Fearne has also called the islands’ vaccination programme a “circuit breaker” for the rising figures. However, the College are criticising the strategy saying the vaccine “is not a mitigation measure and it is not a circuit breaker.”

“Although the situation has not been under control since the start of the second wave, it is clear that the token mitigation measures, non-enforcement of restrictions and people letting down their guard is resulting in the rapid spread of the virus,” the College of Pathologists said in its statement. “Hospital admissions increased following the Christmas and New year period and once again after the carnival recess, suggesting that this is the result of gatherings.”

“The impact the UK variant of the virus has is still uncertain. The message coming across from government and the health authorities seems to give the impression that the ongoing vaccination programme is the be-all and end-all of the pandemic. Malta currently has one of the highest rates of COVID-19 infections in Europe and one of the lowest in terms of restriction measures.”

“Our hospitals are once again struggling to cope with the COVID admissions, our ITUs are nearly full and worryingly, younger patients are now being admitted with complications from the virus. We urge the authorities to take the bull by the horns and take all the necessary measures to reduce the spread of the SARS CoV2 virus before the situation becomes totally unmanageable.”