Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1394633
2 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 21 JULY 2021 2 NEWS THE Maritime Enforcement Department has received a first consignment of three rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIBs), which carry an investment of almost €500,000, so that it increases its out-reach. Transport Mal- ta has contracted for a total of five new RHIBs. Transport minister Ian Borg said this investment not only continues to show how strong and equipped with the latest technology the country's mar- itime sector is but also shows how much the government cares and is committed to con- tinuing investing in the worker to provide him with the best tools necessary so that work can be done more comfortably and more safely. "Currently, the MED has four assets at its disposal and with the new assets, the fleet will increase to nine boats. Educa- tion at sea has become more important than ever and this is because activity on our seas is increasing and therefore, we need to be responsible both in cases where someone is oper- ating a vessel at sea and also when someone is swimming," he said. "These types of boats are most of the time the choice of professional mariners es- pecially for law enforcement agencies and maritime special operations forces and there- fore we felt the need to provide our officers with the same lev- el of tools in order to raise the bar even higher of our coun- try's maritime sector". The new RHIBs will provide MED officers with addition- al safety and comfort to carry out their duties in an improved environment, giving them the ability to stay out longer at sea. The new assets will enhance the working experience of its officers and enable the MED to carry out and operate in more challenging sea conditions, even at night. According to a statistic, from January to June, the total num- ber of inspections carried out relating to Covid-19 measures amounted to 1155. Maritime Enforcement Department receives first three RHIBs The three new rigid hull inflatable boats are 35ft long, equipped with cuddy cabins, and powered by twin outboard Yamaha 250 HP motors NICOLE MEILAK MICHAEL Farrugia, minister for the elderly, has been admitted to hospital after having tested positive for COVID-19 a few days ago. According to our sister newspaper ILLUM, Farrugia is undergoing several tests, while his condition ap- pears to be stable. Farrugia announced his positive test result on Sun- day, saying that he would undergo a 15-day mandato- ry quarantine period. It is understood that Farrugia, a doctor, had taken the COVID-19 vaccine. Farrugia, who took over the elderly portfolio late last year, led the efforts to roll out the COVID vac- cine in old people's homes. Malta, like the rest of Europe, is experiencing a surge in coronavirus infections but hospitalisations remain relatively low. Minister Michael Farrugia hospitalised after contracting COVID-19 COVID-19 217 new cases, hospitalisations remain stable 217 new COVID-19 cases were registered on Tuesday. Active cases stand at 2,177, after three new recover- ies were registered. 4,091 swab tests were carried out in the last 24 hours, with the total number of swabs at 1,049,317. A total of 18 cases are currently being treated at Mate Dei Hospital, with only one patient in the ITU. Of the 146 cases reported yesterday, 97 were 10-39 year olds. The average age of yesterday's cases was 28. Till Monday, 728,106 vaccine doses were adminis- tered, of which 386,328 were a first dose. 359,042 peo- ple are fully vaccinated.