Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1275149
5 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 AUGUST 2020 NEWS Doctors postpone industrial action No location yet for migrant quarantine ship KURT SANSONE GOVERNMENT has given no indication where it intends to moor a ship it will charter to quarantine rescued migrants as reception facilities reach breaking point. Details concerning the ship's location and its capacity will only be divulged after the gov- ernment negotiates with po- tential bidders, the Home Af- fairs Ministry said. On Thursday, the govern- ment issued an expression of interest for the leasing of a ves- sel to accommodate migrants held in quarantine. The ten- der, which will be adjudicated through a negotiated proce- dure, closes tomorrow. The ministry confirmed with MaltaToday that the initial reception facilities where mi- grants are kept upon arrival in Malta currently house more than 3,500 people. In the past week, Malta took in 127 migrants, 85 of who tested positive for coronavirus. These patients are being kept in isolation at the Ħal Far In- itial Reception Centre and the rest are in quarantine and be- ing monitored. The chartering of the vessel is directly linked to the num- ber of COVID-19 cases among migrant arrivals. Hundreds of immigrants have been escaping from Libya that has been expe- riencing a spike in COVID-19 cases. According to the expression of interest, the vessel must have "a number of cabins to hold migrants for a specific period of time" and be able to offer segregated areas for dif- ferent groups. The tender conditions say the vessel shall be moored at "a designated zone as instruct- ed by the competent authori- ties" but no indication is given where this could be. A ministry spokesperson told MaltaToday that "more spe- cific information will be made public once the negotiated pro- cedure is finalised based on the submissions made". Last May, government had chartered four pleasure cruise ships to hold more than 400 migrants in detention just outside territorial waters on Hurd's Bank at a cost of €1.7 million. The controversial decision was taken as Malta closed its ports because of a national health emergency caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The move followed a similar deci- sion taken by Italy. Government had insisted the migrants would be kept off- shore until a European relo- cation mechanism was agreed upon, but eventually gave in and brought the people ashore. This time around, the char- tered vessel appears to be a temporary quarantine measure before rescued migrants are al- lowed to disembark. A similar measure was adopt- ed in Sicily when the Italian authorities chartered a passen- ger and commercial vessel, the Moby Zaza, to serve as a quar- antine area for migrants. The government intends to charter the vessel for one month, with possible exten- sions. MAM said that while confi- dent that there is a good basis for agreement, it considers the Tues- day meeting as a make or break opportunity. The union had demanded that the government follow the advice of the Superintendent of Public Health due to the coronavirus pandemic. Hospital and medical servic- es will be heavily curtailed on Wednesday if union members go ahead with the directives, which will affect all outpatients and elec- tive surgeries, amongst others. The government cancelled plans for four large parties due to the coronavirus risk, following a heavy backlash from the med- ical community and concerned members of the public. Yesterday, 21 new COVID-19 cases were registered. Just three were from a cluster of rescued migrants at sea. The total num- ber of active cases in Malta is now 171. The MAM welcomed a state- ment by the Superintendent of Public Health Prof. Charmaine Gauci in which she said that she was completely against mass events, because, it said, they could lead to an epidemic of uncontrol- lable proportions. MAM said it was disappointed that the tourism minister "with the clear backing of the Office of the Prime Minister" not on- ly chose to ignore the advice of the superintendent and author- ised mass events but chose those events labelled as "extremely high risk". It added that Gauci had been proven right, as one event with 700 attendees – a band march in Santa Venera – had led to a new spike in cases "and possibly a new epidemic with numbers compa- rable to April". "10,000 individuals sought swabbing in the space of 48 hours, when the swabbing capacity was 1,000 per day with the result that the track and trace arm of con- trol was overwhelmed. This also means that the actual number of current positives may be as high as four times the reported num- ber." The MAM welcomed the can- cellation of the four "potentially catastrophic" parties, but insisted that the advice of the Superinten- dent is to be heeded and all mass events be banned as from Mon- day until the new spike is brought under control, because the coun- try risks tourism blacklisting by all other EU countries. "Legally enforceable regulations about the wearing of facemasks indoors, punishable by fines, identical to those in virtually all other EU countries should be in- troduced with immediate effect," MAM said. Family doctors: show youths the way The Malta College of Family Doctors (MCFD) yesterday ac- cused organisers mass events of giving short shrift to public health recommendations to decrease the spread of COVID-19 virus. "It is well known that a number of these have resulted in the re- cent spike of active cases. This is a slap on the face to all well-mean- ing citizens and especially the front-liners. The MCFD calls on those national authorities that give the permits for such activi- ties, to be themselves responsible, together with the organisers, to make sure that the recommen- dations are upheld," secretary Dr Jason Bonnici said. The MCFD called on national authorities to embark on an ed- ucational campaign to instruct young people on why respect for the recommendations of the medical community was needed to protect the vulnerable, and on how they can continue to safely enjoy themselves in their leisure time. "Role models for young peo- ple can be enrolled in the initia- tive to bring the message across more effectively. We urge public figures, including national rep- resentatives, to lead by example in promoting civic responsibility to protect the vulnerable by re- specting the recommendations of the medical community in social distancing and the use of masks in own individual events and collectively to bring across a co- herent unified national message that ensures the wellbeing of our society." The MCFD applauded the vast majority of citizens and business enterprises whose self-discipline and personal sacrifice helped con- trol the COVID-19 pandemic. MAM president Martin Balzan INTERVIEW MT2 Tourism's dark side: the Captain Morgan pleasure cruise boat doubles up as a floating prison for migrants rescued at sea but denied their right to seek asylum in Malta