[WATCH] PM: Bars and gyms to reopen Friday

Bars and gyms will be reopening on Friday, as government will be announcing the lifting of more restrictions on Monday, Prime Minister Robert Abela said.

The announcement was made in an interview on party station ONE TV, with the PM laying out a timeline on how government will be acting in the coming weeks.

Abela also said that the airport and ports will be reopened on the 1 July.

Malta will be entering the sixth week since government starting lifting preventive restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The PM did not give details on the reopening, stating specifics will be given tomorrow.

“Those who said that lifting of restrictions will lead to a spike of cases have been proved wrong. COVID-19 is behind us,” he said.

He also announced that a “multi-million-euro budget” will start being discussed on the 7 June. 

“This will not be a budget that takes back what we gave in the last months, but a budget which incentivises investment,” he said.

The PM said that bank deposits in the last weeks have gone up by millions.

“People have saved, now is the time to spend that money,” the PM said.

Robert Abela also said that government is looking at creating an mnesty mechanism with which people who have fined for breaking grouping rules, will have the option to contest the fines.

He said that he witnessed a number of people who were mistakenly for getting too close to each other.

“These people are not criminals,” he said. 

People who have already paid the fine will also be refunded.

Speaking on the Floriana championship celebrations which sparked social media outrage, the PM expressed his disappointment stating they should not have been carried out, but said he understands people’s euphoria in celebrating.

On comments made by Opposition leader Adrian Delia in which he said that he thinks the PN will not lose general election, the PM said that while the country looks at emerging from the COVID-19 situation, Delia is focused on politics.

“The country needs stability right now, and the government has a mandate until 2022, and it looks at carrying it out,” Abela said.

Magisterial inquiry into migrant deaths

A magistrate threw out a criminal complaint filed by the NGO Repubblika accusing Prime Minister Robert Abela and AFM commander Jeffrey Curmi, as well as the AFM’s P52 crew of sabotaging a migrant vessel on Friday.

The PM said that the inquiry shows that good governance is working in the country, stating its aim was to destabilize the country.

“We have always acted to save lives, and we will continue doing it,” he said.

Abela also made a distinction between Repubblika and Jason Azzopardi, insisting Azzopardi’s motives were purely political.

“Jason Azzopardi comes from a faction within the PN which thinks it has the right to rule,” he said.

He also challenged the opposition leader to take a stand, or else risk being the victim of this faction.

He also apologised to the AFM personnel involved in the inquiry, saying they passed through weeks of uncertainty because he “was the target”.  

On his visit to Libya, the PM said that the government looks to tackle the migration issue at its source.

“Previous local and foreign administrations have always tackled the migration problem boat-by-boat, but we looking at solving the issue at large,” the PM said.

The Libyan perspective is important when approaching this crisis.

He also said government has sent a clear message when keeping migrants aboard ships commissioned by it out at sea.

“We have saved lives from drowning, but we have also given a message that Malta cannot bring in more people,” he said.