PM says government decisions will 'give value' to COVID-19 vaccine

Prime Minister Robert Abela said government decisions will be taken to give value to the COVID-19 vaccine to protect the Maltese people.

“There is a small minority that does not want to take the vaccine, and while you cannot force people to take it, government policy will be based on the positives which come with the vaccine,” he said.

His statement comes after protestors took to Valletta on Saturday morning protesting public health restrictions against COVID-19.  

Speaking during a phone-in interview with ONE News journalist Samuel Lucas, Abela said that while the vaccination program is on the right track, the country cannot relax now.

He said over 8,000 people made use of mobile vaccination clinics last week. “We cannot relax until everyone is vaccinated.”

The PM also noticed that an international monetary fund analysis factored in the country’s vaccination roll out when predicting Malta’s economic growth for the coming months.

“This can be attributed to government decisions and incentives,” he said.

Abela also said unemployment numbers are even better than pre-pandemic years, despite earlier forecasts predicting that Malta would be losing 50,000 jobs.

“These figures give you hope for the future,” Abela said. “If people are employed, that gives us a good platform on which to base our future.”

The Prime Minister also spoke about investment in the arts sector, stating government has continued to issued various schemes for those who made hard sacrifices during the coronavirus pandemic.