Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1308376
2 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 11 NOVEMBER 2020 NEWS COVID-19 MALTA has registered 153 new cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, the Health Authorities have announced. Information released by the Health Ministry on Facebook shows that there were 89 recoveries, bringing the total of active cases to 2,041. Today's cases are still being investigated but from the cases discovered yesterday, 15 were fam- ily members of previously known cases, two were contacts of positive work colleagues, six were from direct contacts with positive cases, two were from social gatherings and four were imported. 3,296 swabs were conducted in the last 24 hours, with a grand total of 367,545 swabs having been conducted since the start of the pandemic Malta has registered 7,396 coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic in March, with 81 deaths. COVID-19 active cases rise to over 2,000 153 new cases, 89 recoveries • 2,041 active cases • Swab tests past 24 hours 3,296 • Cases still being investigated COVID-19: Doctors' salvo over Christmas events LAURA CALLEJA THE Malta Medical Association (MAM) has accused the Prime Minister of being denial over the gravity of the COVID-19 pandemic in Malta, after the tourism min- ister promised "high risk" mass events for Christmas against medical advice. The MAM said both Robert Abela and Julia Farrugia Portelli were deliberately ignoring scientific advice, "playing the populism card while death and disease from COVID-19 are reaching record heights". "It appears that for Minister Farrugia the July parties were the test tube, and Christmas is going to be the real thing in fomenting an unprecedented ep- idemic. It is no wonder that 'fake' en- forcement has been taken away from the police and put under her responsi- bility," MAM said. The association was referring to big hotel parties which have been blamed for a return of COVID-19 after it had been gone down during the summer. MAM said that 81 people have died from the virus and that there were 80 very seriously ill patients at Mater Dei of whom 12 were in the ITU. "The daily 7-day average is now at 137 per day, with 7283 total cases. Based on the recorded 1.5% fatality at least an- other 35 deaths as expected to occur by the end of the month. Despite these deaths, the worst is still to come and if the daily average remains above hun- dred the healthcare system may soon collapse," MAM said. The association said that the worst was still to come and that if the daily average remained above a hundred, the healthcare system "may soon collapse." "While doctors and other healthcare workers have to risk their own health on a daily basis, the prime minister has ruled out any form of lockdown, while Minister Julia Farrugia now has new mechanisms in place to ask the whole Maltese population to ignore the advice of the Health Minister and Prof. Gauci, and go out and have fun during Christ- mas," MAM said. MAM said that it was "highly irre- sponsible," and puts the lives of many patients and healthcare staff unneces- sarily at risk. "COVID-19 will not kill Christmas but will kill more vulnerable Maltese people," they said. But the ministry for tourism replied that mass events and annual activities which usually took place over Christ- mas have been cancelled. This includ- ed Winter Wonderland at the Triton squre. "Contrary to the impression given by some, it was not true that in Valletta, and in some other localities, parties and or entertainment evenings would be held. "As already explained at yesterday's press conference, the main street of Valletta will only be decorated with a Christmas tree and a crib. There will also be a projection of lights on the façade of the President's Palace and in St. George's Square," they said. The government said that the idea of the Valletta Cultural Agency was that through music, small choirs and per- formances, families who enter Valletta to buy gifts for their relatives or to eat in restaurants would have a positive Christmas experience. "Under the direction of the health authorities, these small and open-end- ed initiatives will be in full compliance with the directives and protocols in force. Everyone entering Valletta must also respect existing laws including the mandatory use of masks and social dis- tance," they said. They stressed that health would re- main a priority and therefore the deci- sions announced were created accord- ing to the different reality Malta now faced, calling on everyone to continue to abide by the measures in place. Minister Julia Farrugia at the launch of the Christmas in the City festivities