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MALTATODAY 1 August 2021

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4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 AUGUST 2021 NEWS Literacy Resource Centres Summer Opening Hours LRC Ġmiel il-Qari (16th June - 30th September 2021) National Literacy Agency, Joseph Abela Scolaro Street, Ħamrun HMR 1304 Mondays to Saturdays 08:30 - 13:00 LRC Doris Vella (13th July - 1st September 2021) Ta' Sannat Primary School and Special Unit, Sannat Street, Ta' Sannat, Gozo SNT 9020 Tuesdays and Thursdays 09:00 - 12:00 Further information on the Literacy Resource Centres may be found on www.facebook.com/lrc.nla or by calling 2598 3317 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 After verification of the docu- ments, the voucher for the event will be exchanged for an RFID (Radio-frequency identification) wristband, which cannot be re- moved until the end of the event. The RFID will also ensure that contact tracing information is gathered as the wristband is linked to the wearers' personal details. Once a person has their wrist- band scanned at the entry point, the organiser will be able to identify who actually attended the event and to which bubble they were allocated. Organisers will be given two options for the so-called social 'bubbles' for attendees: bubbles with a maximum of 330 people with a two-metre all-around dis- tance between each group (seat- ing groups of two, three, four and six), or bubbles of 250 peo- ple and a four-metre all-around distance between each group. Each bubble will have a dedi- cated gate, dedicated queuing, as well as dedicated mobile toi- lets. Downloading of the COVID AlertMalta app will be mandato- ry for the attendees. Post-August events Event organisers are preparing for the return of stand-up events after the Santa Marija public holiday, although the health au- thorities have yet to green-light the change. The authorities have already told them they will be allowed to hold stand-up events for those fully vaccinated although the numbers will be capped to avoid overcrowding. Details on the number of peo- ple allowed to attend are yet to be finalised. Stand-up mass events have been banned since March 2020 when the first cases of COV- ID-19 were detected. In recent months, mass events have slowly resumed although all attendees have been forced to remain seated at all times, even if they are fully vaccinated against the virus. While, initially, it was only weddings that were allowed to take place, as from July other large-scale events started being permitted. Maximum capacity for such events had originally been capped at 100 per event. The Malta Entertainment In- dustry and Arts Association said stand0up events needed to re- sume as planned and discussed in meetings. But as guidelines had still not been published, it was basically impossible to plan ahead or operate. The association also said it was still waiting for the one-off cash grant promised. Health Minis- ter Chris Fearne recently said that, as long as there is a break between community cases and hospitalisations, ITU cases and deaths, the authorities might still ease measures even if the numbers in the community re- main "relatively high". MTA seated mass event rules for September A total of 30 patients are cur- rently being treated at mater Dei Hospital for COVID-19, two of whom are in intensive care, according to the daily COVD-19 update issued by the Health Ministry on Saturday. Over the last 24 hours, Mal- ta registered 94 new cases of COVID-19. The average age of the new patients was 33. There were al- so 219 new recoveries over the time frame. There are currently 1,847 ac- tive cases of COVID-19 in Mal- ta. 3,483 swab tests were per- formed on Friday, making for a total 1,090,666 swabs having been carried out over the span of the pandemic. In all, 758,252 vaccine doses had been administered as of Fri- day and there are now 380,927 fully vaccinated people in Mal- ta. Since the start of the outbreak, Malta has registered 34,295 to- tal cases of COVID-19, of which 31,629 have recovered. The death toll stands at 423. COVID-19: 94 new cases, 30 patients treated at Mater Dei, two in intensive care A 14-year-old boy from Msida was charged yesterday with two stabbing incidents, one in Sliema and another in Pie- tà, within the span of a single week. The boy, whose name cannot be published on ac- count of his age, is claiming self-defence in both incidents and has entered a not guilty plea. He was arrested on 27 June for stabbing a 21-year-old English man, on Locker Street, Sliema. The boy was said to have received a beating. The boy also himself reported an- other stabbing incident to the police, involving a 24-year-old Pietà man. Despite the prose- cutors' objection Magistrate Monica Vella upheld bail against a €500 deposit, and a €3,500 personal guarantee. In- spectors Roderick Attard and Jessica Bezzina prosecuted. Bail for boy, 14, accused of two stabbing attacks It's not back to normal as this mega- concert photo shows, but the Malta Tourism Authority wants to get rules in place for mass events that will be seated and entirely 'COVID ring- fenced'

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