Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1217481
8 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 4 MARCH 2020 NEWS LAURA CALLEJA DOCTORS are calling on the government to cancel all tourist flights from northern It- aly as a precaution to prevent a coronavirus outbreak. The Medical Association of Malta accused the government of failing in its duty to pro- tect the health of the population by overrul- ing the advice of health professionals. MAM President Martin Balzan said on Tuesday that all union members agreed that flights from Italy's northern regions should be cancelled. "Political opinion has overruled the opin- ion of doctors – I understand that there is concern over the economy and the tourism sector, but the situation the northern part of Italy has reached epidemic status, and we know from the data that the majority of cases found in other European countries have been imported from Italy. Every day the situation in Italy gets worse and the fig- ures rise, action needs to be taken quickly," Balzan warned. As of 3 March, Italy recorded 1,689 cases, with a total of 561 new cases confirmed in the last 24 hours and 35 deaths. MAM has proposed that only Maltese residents should be allowed to board flights from Lombardia, Veneto and Emilia Ro- magna regions, where Covid-19 infections have skyrocketed. "Tourists coming from these regions should not be allowed to board flights as they are most likely not going to self-quar- antine themselves. This should be done not just to safeguard the Maltese but oth- er tourists that come from unaffected re- gions," Balzan said. The association is also encouraging the government to enforce mandatory quar- antine for all residents who have been on flights from northern Italy where the epi- demic is out of control. Balzan said self-quarantine did not appear to be working, citing cases reported previ- ously in the media of parents continuing to send their children to school, and even employers pressuring employees to return to work regardless. "We are proposing spot checks, which would carry heavy fines if broken. I would be comfortable with the authorities setting a fine of €5,000 if caught breaking quaran- tine. We are talking about a highly conta- gious virus, breaking quarantine could af- fect thousands of people, the punishment has to be severe," Balzan said. The MAM encouraged the government to put short term economic consequences aside and give priority to the health of the population. The association said that it en- couraged employees who have travelled to at-risk regions to work from home when possible. The association also said that the govern- ment should pay for quarantine leave in the private sector unless reckless individual behaviour is noted to encourage employers to allow their employees to take sick leave when needed. The MAM also advised patients returning from affected areas with a fever and flu- like symptoms not to go to their doctors or health centres or attend the accident and emergency department, and should instead stay home and phone for advice. Medical Association of Malta calls for f light cancellations from northern Italy and mandatory quarantine in bid to combat Covid-19 outbreak Coronavirus Doctors want flights from high-risk regions in Italy to be cancelled THE jury for the trial of Etienne Bartolo, known as 'il-Vojt', over the murder of 26-year-old Roderick Grech 'ic-China', was dissolved after three members of the jury were exempted. After a two-hour jury selec- tion process, three jurors were exempted on Tuesday, one of whom due to their feeling ill. The court informed the 12 ju- rors that if they are to exhibit conditions of sickness, they should inform the court be- forehand. The juror in question, howev- er, said that the ailment he was suffering from had manifested itself on Tuesday morning. The rest of the jury was dissolved and will be called again on Wednesday. Grech was killed in the ear- ly hours of the morning on 29 March 2017 when he met Bar- tolo to settle payment for drugs sold the previous day. Grech was stabbed several times in an ensuing ar- gument. He later identi- fied his as- sailant while he was being a d m i n i s t e r e d aid, saying "vo- jt… vojt" to nurs- es. The trial is expected to summon as witness Jordan Az- zopardi, the alleged drug lord whose Wardija hide-out was raided in a major sting opera- tion last year. The trial has been postponed since September when lawyer Franco Debono, appearing for the victim's family, insisted that jurors in Malta are not equipped to reach a proper verdict. However, Judge Consuelo Scerri Herrera had dismissed the application. Etienne Bar- tolo is being represented by lawyers Edward Gatt and Mark Vassallo. Franco Debono and Amadeus Cachia are parte civ- ile lawyers. Jordan Azzopardi is also rep- resented by Debono. Roderick Grech murder trial: jury dissolved after selection process Etienne Bartolo, known as Il-Vojt, seen here when he was arraigned in court on the murder of Roderick Grech (inset) in 2017 The doctors' union has called for drastic measures to prevent coronavirus outbreak