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30.04.2020 3 NEWS FROM PAGE 1 Zahra said that this would be a start of a return to normality. "We want to see some return to normal- ity. [Attracting local customers] would also help relieved some of the pressures on the Maltese people, who have been forced to stay indoors for weeks on end in a bid to control the spread of the vi- rus," he said. The hotel industry has been virtually forced to shut down after Malta's border were closed to all inbound sea and air travel in an effort to control the corona- virus. As one of the sectors most critically hit by COVID-19, the industry is receiving direct aid from the government in the form of the financing of a full five-day week at a minimum of €800 per month for all its workers. "In view of the closure of the airport, the only alternative is domestic tourism," Zahra said, "We need to get the engines started again... or we're going to have a bigger problem on our hands than the one we already have." Zahra highlighted that the pandem- ic brought with it several unknowns, included not knowing whether there would be a second wave of viral spread, and the uncertainty about when a vac- cine would become available. The MHRA president remarked that this was causing people in industry to start getting "a bit desperate". "No in- come is coming in, and there are bills to pay." Zahra said the MHRA was expecting that government aid be extended to cov- er the next months as the industry strug- gles with the pandemic's effects. He thanked Deputy Prime Minster and Chris Fearne for having managed the sit- uation "very well" in the past weeks and called for a workaround to allow the ho- tel industry to be sustained in the com- ing months. Effect of domestic tourism Despite intentions to revitalise hotels through local tourism, a spokesperson for Corinthia Hotels – one of the biggest operators in the sector – cast doubts on how effective this would be. "The viability of hotels in Malta de- pends solely on the return of interna- tional travel. Unlike larger countries, our home market is of a negligible size," the Corinthia spokesperson told Business- Today. "Targeting this market as an imme- diate-term step will have little positive impact on our hotels," the spokesperson warned, underscoring that hotels would continue requiring government assis- tance if they are to reopen to the domes- tic market. "In fact, reopening hotels, with running costs returning back to normal but no meaningful income from international travel, could make matters worse unless it is done carefully, with full government support to ensure our workforce remains active and motivated," the spokesperson said. Vincent Degiorgio, executive director for db Hotels – which operate the Sea- bank and San Antonio hotels – empha- sised that the quicker such establish- ments opened their doors, the better it would be. "The aim is to restart operations as early as possible. Let's also keep in mind that many hotels also run restaurants, which are more likely to attract local customers if restrictions are lifted," he said. Degiorgio added that the continued provision of government aid would be important should lockdown measures not be relaxed in the coming weeks. Domestic tourism alone would have minor impact on sector The Corinthia Hotel St George's Bay in St Julian's "We need to get the engines started again... or we're going to have a bigger problem on our hands than the one we already have." GLOBALCAPITAL plc is screening staff with COVID-19 rapid testing kits, which are capable of detecting the presence of antibod- ies in humans against the disease in just 15 minutes. e tests, manufactured in Switzerland and widely used in the heavily affected Italian re- gion of Lombardy, are capable of yielding four results: negative, positive initial stage, posi- tive advanced stage, and immune positive. e quick procedure, which merely requires a drop of blood, is carried out by a medical practitioner and the results uploaded on an electronic platform which makes it possible for employees to monitor their condition through a dedicated app. GlobalCapital chairman Paolo Catalfamo said the firm's top priority at this extraordi- nary time was to ensure the safety of its em- ployees, who have continued to work hard to provide clients with the best possible service. "We believe this rapid test, which is now also being used by certain airlines to screen passengers, will provide them and their fami- lies with reassurance and we are delighted to be among the first in Malta to offer it," he said. GlobalCapital screening staff with rapid COVID-19 test kit

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