Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1250967
11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 MAY 2020 OPINION paragraph: "Considering the situation of a public health emergency resultant from the spread of the coronavi- rus and the current extraordinary burden being faced by the nation- al health services, as well as due to the extraordinary commitments being made by the public sec- tor, for the care and assistance to COVID-19 patients, it is presently not possible to ensure the availa- bility of a 'safe place' on the Mal- tese territory, without compro- mising the efficiency/functionality of the national health, logistic and safety structures, which are ded- icated to limiting the spread of the contagious disease, as well as to provide assistance and care to COVID-19 patients." Ah, but that was in early April. We're now in late May; and things have apparently improved so much since then, that we're now relaxing all the other restrictions that were imposed for precisely the same reasons. Restaurants and hair-dressers? No problem, it's perfectly safe for those to open for business again (and we even claim to have 'scien- tific proof' of this fact). But 130 migrants rescued at sea, who have already spent three weeks in detention on 'pleas- ure cruisers' in the middle of the Mediterranean? Is it safe enough to allow them to disembark in Malta (you know, so that they might actually get a chance to exercise what is supposed to be a universally-acknowledged human right, and apply for asylum?) Sorry, but you've got to be kid- ding me. I mean, haven't you heard there's a global pandemic going on right now? Can't you see we're the middle of a nation- al crisis here? That our health services are in danger of being overwhelmed? And that we just… can't… cope? I don't know. You'd have to be pretty damn myopic not to see the double standards at work there. And you'd have to be pretty damn naïve, too, to expect that the Eu- ropean Commission would actu- ally fall for such a blatant ruse. Still, I'd be curious to listen to Evarist Bartolo – or, even better, Abela himself – trying to make that case for Malta around the European negotiating table. Heck, I'd even gladly sacrifice another two hours of my life, just to hear them offer up some form of offi- cial explanation, for how COV- ID-19 can possibly be a crisis – and not a crisis – at one and the same time. But I think we all already know the answer to that one. COV- ID-19 is a crisis, all right… but on- ly when it comes to keeping immi- grants out of Malta. When, on the other hand, it comes to Maltese businesses making money… sud- denly, it becomes a classic case of 'overblown media hysteria'. What can I say? Good luck with those European negotiations, Dr Abela. Something tells me you're going to need it…