Unfair of Prime Minister to blame COVID spike on migrants, doctors’ union says

The Medical Association of Malta (MAM) said it was unfair for Prime Minister Robert Abela to blame rescued migrants for the spike of COVID-19 cases. 

The association was reacting to comments made by Abela on Monday during a One TV interview on Pjazza. 

The MAM argued that it was the government’s decision to allow mass events, going against the advice of experts as well as the Superintendent for Public Health which caused the spike and not migrants who were quarantined immediately. 

“In fact the European centre for disease control data does not include migrant data. Please find attached the graphic trends of this data which shows a clear spike in the last two weeks following the organisation of mass events,” MAM said. 

Last week MAM along with the nurses’ union threatened industrial action unless the government took action and halted mass events. The action was suspended after talks with the health ministry. 

The government has since said it plans to quarantine migrants with COVID-19 at sea and has since issued a call for the supply of vessels. 

covid 19 malta 7 day moving average

Currently, 88 migrants have tested positive; from two groups that arrived in Malta last week. Originally, the migrants who tested positive were not included in the island’s official COVID-19 figures, however, from Friday the numbers were included following the advice from the European Centre for Disease Control. 

‘Deeply concerned’ by remarks made by PM – Repubblika 

Similarly, Repubblika also shared its concern for the PM’s remarks. The NGO said the increase of people testing positive was generally due to people who had contracted the ideas locally from persons who were circulating freely. 

"The number of ‘total cases’ of Covid-19 includes migrants rescued at sea that have tested positive. But these patients are immediately isolated and have contributed nothing at all to the spread of the disease locally. By laying the blame on them, the Prime Minister risks inciting racial prejudice.” 

Repubblika said that none of the migrants had attended the Santa Venera festa, the Radisson Hotel party, Paceville nightclubs or any other mass gatherings that had produced known clusters of COVID-19 cases. 

“This means that the local spread of COVID-19 is not a result of migrants rescued at sea. It is a result of the policies of Prime Minister Robert Abela who has re-opened Malta to travel from points of origin (like the UK, France and Spain) where Covid-19 numbers are rising again, and has permitted parties, festas, night clubs and mass gatherings at the same time.” 

The NGO said that it seemed that as a result of these politics, the government has lost control of the situation. 

“To rein it back in, the government may need to prepare the public for punitive restrictions which it would not want to be blamed for. The restrictions that may need to be introduced may have a devastating impact on our economy, the education of our children and our way of life, and could have been at least in part avoided had the government not rushed to open up prematurely the country to inbound travel and mass gatherings and parties,” Repubblika said.