COVID: Government should not chip away at personal liberties, Delia tells House

PN MP Adrian Delia says government decisions on coronavirus measures ‘are not backed by science’

PN MP Adrian Delia
PN MP Adrian Delia

Nationalist MP Adrian Delia said government should not chip away at people’s liberties when imposing measures aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19.

“When you have no science and data that backs your decisions, which could have detrimental and fatal consequences, you should not impose measures which affect people’s lives,” Delia told parliament.

The PN MP said the party was never against vaccines, and its position has remained consistent since the pandemic started.

“But today we are not in the same situation as we were during earlier stages of the pandemic. We have the majority of the population which has taken the booster and we do not have a public health emergency,” Delia said.

He said earlier decisions were taken by the Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci, but now that Malta is no longer in a state of public health emergency, the decisions are being taken by the Health Minister Chris Fearne. “These decisions are not backed by science.”

Delia also said that while vaccination is not mandatory in Malta, measures are isolating groups in society.

He also praised the court action taken by 17 businesses, who have filed a court case against new measures that will limit entry to restaurants, gyms, and bars to vaccinated people only. filed a court case against new measures that will limit entry to restaurants, gyms, and bars to vaccinated people only.

“I have to offer my words of support to these businesses,” he said.

Mentioning protests carried out by anti-vax groups in Valletta over the last months, Delia said that while they may not be right in everything they say, their concerns have to be heard. “We have to discuss their concerns at a legal and parliamentary level.”

“Health is not defined as just physical health, we have to ensure that people enjoy good mental health, it is their right,” he said.

Delia was following up on the party’s position that COVID vaccine pass rules should be scrapped.

“Given that two-thirds of the country have already taken the booster while the less virulent Omicron has become the dominant strain in Malta, the PN believes the measures no longer strike the right balance between public health and people’s freedoms,” the PN had said.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Robert Abela announced COVID-19 measures will be eased from the first week of February.

Steward

On Sunday, MaltaToday reported that the Maltese government has entered into a stalemate in negotiations with Steward, on the future of the maligned hospitals privatisation contract.

This newspaper is informed that the Labour administration – despite voting in an additional multi-million budgetary spend on staff resources for the American company’s operations – is refusing an €80 million exit request for Steward.

Reacting to the story, Delia said despite reports, court action and an auditor report on the deal, government is still refusing to backout from the deal.

“The government should not pay one more euro, because these are public funds, and they are not being used well,” he said.

The MP also said he is informed that Steward are prepared to lower their asking price to €70 million.