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9 EDITORIAL BusinessToday is published every Thursday. The newspaper is a MediaToday publication and is distributed to all leading stationers, business and financial institutions and banks. MANAGING EDITOR: SAVIOUR BALZAN EDITOR: PAUL COCKS BusinessToday, MediaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN9016, Malta Newsroom email: bt@mediatoday.com.mt Advertising: afarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt Telephone: 00356 21 382741 G overnment must be commended for adopting a cautious approach to the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions. e timelines for lifting the measures al- low the health authorities space to evaluate their impacts and take corrective measures accordingly. e press conference delivered yesterday by the Prime Minister, the Health Minister and the Public Health Superintendent pro- vided a sober picture of the situation. More importantly, it was bereft of the loose polit- ical talk that in the recent past gave rise to false hope. e authorities were clear that restrictions could be tightened if the main indicators of the pandemic – the daily positivity rate, the seven-day moving average of new infec- tions, hospitalisations and patients in inten- sive care – worsen. ey also warned that vigilance and disci- pline must be maintained if the country is to reach the end of the tunnel. After more than 12 months of restrictions, dashed hopes and economic and social hard- ship, it is understandable for people to expe- rience fatigue. But now that the light at the end of the tunnel is visible, everyone must pull together and continue walking forward. Any attempt to run because the end is in sight will risk taking us back to square one. Within this context, the cautious approach and guarded language used yesterday are more than welcome. From a business perspective, non-essential shops and services will be able to reopen with mitigation protocols on 26 April. Restaurants and bars, so far, have not been given a deadline for reopening. One hopes that ongoing discussions over the coming weeks should lead to a deadline for restau- rants and bars to reopen. In this case, it is important that any time- line, even if it stretches deep into May, is communicated as early as possible to allow these commercial establishments to prepare and stock. One understands as well the need for miti- gation measures to continue being enforced across the board. With government targeting 1 June as a deadline for reopening the tourism sector, it remains crucial that infection numbers re- main low and the vaccination drive contin- ues unabated. e arrival of a fourth vaccine in mid-April – Johnson & Johnson – provides additional hope that the inoculation targets could be met earlier than expected. Short of the development of a new virus variant and a hitch in the supply of vaccines, Malta appears on track to aim for economic recovery in summer. e path will remain fraught with risks and setbacks but a concerted effort can see the country through. How the country deals with the return of tourists will be crucial to ensure the recov- ery remains steady, albeit a slow one. Proper controls at the airport and seaport must be in place to ensure that people com- ing here are either vaccinated or can pro- duce a negative PCR test. It must be mandatory for travellers to Mal- ta to have a negative test before boarding their flight. is is why the Malta Tourism Authority should consider a scheme of reimbursing travellers to Malta who would have had to pay for a COVID test. Tourists will be able to have the expense reimbursed in vouchers to be spent at restaurants and shops in Malta. Another big decision will have to be taken at some point on mass events. is should not be a rushed decision and lessons from last year must be learnt. Limiting the number of people who can at- tend these events, the presentation of a vac- cine certificate and profuse testing will be necessary to lower the risk of virus spread in these circumstances. Decisions must continue being informed by scientific data and sober risk assessments with the understanding that measures can be re-introduced if the epidemiological sit- uation changes. e hope that has been lit must be nur- tured. ere is a way out. There is a way out 8.4.2021

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