Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1245222
2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 MAY 2020 THE coronavirus crisis led to re- cord levels of interest in online news, but interest in COVID-19 – like Malta's infection rate –ap- pears to have peaked. According to Google News searches for coronavirus, Mal- tese interest in the disease peaked on Thursday 12 March, which was Malta's day of reck- oning with the soft lockdown. On 12 March, the Maltese government announced the closure of all educational in- stitutions and childcare cen- tres. Political events, masses, funerals and weddings were al- so cancelled. People were told present exact change on pub- lic transport, while the Matsec board announced a suspension of listening comprehensions, oral examinations and PE physical tests. Even the football leagues were suspended. Internationally it was the day the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson described coronavi- rus as "the worst public health crisis for a generation", and the day after President Donald Trump had announced a Eu- ropean travel ban. The death toll in Italy, meanwhile, passed 1,000. But now Google News search- es for coronavirus have fallen over the last month, with the lowest day of interest so far having been on 20 April. maltatoday One-month special delivery fee of just €1 per day for orders up to 5 newspaper per address To subscribe 1. Email us your choice of newspapers, recipient's name, address, contact number to production@millermalta.com 2. Forward cheques payabale to Miller Distributors Ltd to address: Miller House, Air- port Way, Tarxien Road, Luqa LQA1814 Queries on other newspapers and magazines, contact production@millermalta.com home delivery maltatoday TRIED, TESTED & LOVED Your local rental partner. Since 1969. e. renting@franksalt.com.mt | w. franksalt.com.mt/renting L E T T I N G L E T T I N G #STAYSAFE SUNDAY • 12 APRIL 2020 • ISSUE 1067 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY €1.95 maltatoday PGS 2-3 Malta tells EU traffickers are 'using' NGO to ferry migrants MATTHEW VELLA MALTA'S foreign and home affairs ministers yesterday met the ambassadors of France and Spain, explaining to them that it was "impos- sible for Malta" to rescue boat migrants and asylum seekers being transported out at sea by traffickers in Libya. Evairst Bartolo and Byron Camileri told the ambassadors that the COVID-19 pandemic had put the Maltese islands under pressure in terms of law enforcement. "The resources and space in migrant reception centres are limited, and the arrivals of more mi- grants will imperil the migrants living in these centres," they said in a statement to the press. The ministers said that Spain had closed its ports and borders, much as Malta had done af- ter Italy announced its closure of ports to mi- grant rescue charities. "Human trafficking has increased since Sun- day after the German-flagged boat operated by Sea-Eye 'promoted' its operations at sea to take in rescued migrants to Europe," the ministers said, adding that human traffickers in Libya had taken the cue to ferry the asylum seekers out at sea to be picked up by the 'Alan Kurdi' vessel. The ministers said the traffickers were ex- ploiting the Libyan instability, and that the EU had to intervene to disrupt this business model. Bartolo also spoke to the EU's external rela- tions commissioner Josep Borell yesterday, say- ing that unless Libya is aided, human traffickers will keep imperiling the lives of migrants they ferry out to sea. STAY IN, STAY SAFE, WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT/COVID19 Raphael Vella: Home is where the art is INTERVIEW MT 2 Never before has your support of free and independent journalism been so crucial SUBSCRIBE maltatoday.com.mt/maltatodaydigitaledition Pilots were 'guaranteed pay' in 2016 side-letter AIR Malta pilots were given a signed guarantee by the Labour government that they would be kept on a state payroll with their same take-home pay, in the absence of a volun- tary retirement scheme should their jobs be terminated. The side-letter of 18 August 2016 was an agreement forced by the threat of a strike by Malta's pilots, in which then-tourism minister Edward Zammit Lewis had to placate pilots in a bid to increase their flying hours. The agreement states that the government "is giving all Air Malta pilots in Malta a guarantee of work, and will actively consid- er a voluntary early retirement scheme to 'right-size' [the air- line] that would be acceptable to all parties, including ALPA… the government is guaranteeing pilots that they will continue receiving a 'take home pay' of their choice according to either years 2014, 2015 or 2016." PAGE 4 Robert Abela gets 62% 'pandemic' trust rating, while PN gets Gozo boost mt survey Eek! With humans at home, pests mount return 9 Foodie frontliners: wine and fine dining 10-11 and takeaway armies 16 MALTATODAY SURVEY PAGES 14-15 Same-day delivery of your favourite Sunday newspaper Monday-Friday Sat Sunday MaltaToday Midweek €1 n/a MaltaToday on Sunday €1.95 BusinessToday €1.50 n/a ILLUM €1.25 The Malta Independent €1 €1 The Malta Independent on Sunday €1.95 Times of Malta €1 €1 Sunday Times of Malta €1.95 In-Nazzjon €1 €1 Il-Mument €1.20 l-Orizzont €1 €1 It-Torca €1.50 Daily Mail €2.40 €2.40 Mail on Sunday €3.30 Daily Mirror €2.50 €2.50 Sunday Mirror €2.70 The Sun €2.50 €2.50 Sun on Sunday €2.50 Daily Express €2.50 €2.50 Sunday Express €3.30 Daily Star €2.20 €2.20 Sunday Star €2.50 Daily Telegraph €4.50 €5.00 Sunday Telegraph €5.70 The Times €4.50 €5.00 The Sunday Times €5.70 Financial Times €3.70 €4.50 People €2.70 The Guardian €3.90 €4.60 The Observer €4.90 Support your favourite newspaper with a subscription https://bit.ly/2X9csmr Numbers represent search interest relative to the highest point on the chart. A value of 100 is the peak popularity for the term. A value of 50 means that the term is half as popular Google News data suggests reader interest in coronavirus has already peaked CORONAVIRUS CRISIS Coronavirus interest has peaked in Malta 18 Apr 25 Mar 1 Mar 6 Feb 100 75 50 25