LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Maltese health authorities have confirmed that four more patients have lost their life in the last 24 hours due to COVID-19. The elderly patients – three men aged 77, 87 and 88 and a woman aged 86 were receiving treatment at Mater Dei hospital. So far, 496 people have died since the start of the pandemic. 116 patients are still in hospital receiving treatment. Nine are in intensive care.

In the last 24 hours, 673 new positive cases were registered and 1,179 have recovered from COVID-19. This brings the total number of active cases in Malta to 13,104.

Meanwhile, the association representing the employers said that the increae in COVID cases during the last three weeks, and people coming in contact with the COVID positive people, has led to a dramatic increase in absenteeism.

The association added that according to a survey carried out recently “32% of the 325 respondents reported having an absence rate of higher than 15% which is making coping with the shortage of workers a problem in many workplaces. 58% said that they are coping with absenteeism through teleworking where this is possible, while 51% said that they have resorted to reducing operations.”

The association added that the increase in absenteeism due to COVID-19 is effecting badly and disrupting the companies’ operations and warned that this will effect the GDP and the government finances. “The disruption in business activity will have a negative impact on GDP and government finances, given that the wage supplement will have to be extended to at least the first quarter of 2022 to many businesses as a result.”

The Malta Employers’ Association and the Malta Chamber for Small and Medium Enterprises are calling the health authorities to reduce the quarantine period to five days. This demand was also voiced by the Opposition which said that the thousands of people in quarantine was having a devastating effect on the Maltese economy.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The European Commission has asked the Maltese government to clarify the new travel regulations which are expected to come into force as from January, 17.

The Maltese health authorities decided that the COVID-19 certificate will be considered expired once three months from the second dose have passed or nine months from the booster dose. However, the European Commission declared that Malta will breach the European travel rules which came into force on December, 21 and which state that “member states must accept any vaccination certificate that has been issued less than nine months since the administration of the last dose of the primary vaccination”.

Meanwhile, the Malta International Airport criticized the health authorities’ decision and urged them to stop all plans to introduce the new plans. “Given that Malta is the only EU Member State which has shortened the validity period of COVID-19 vaccination certificates, the Superintendent of Public Health has imposed an unnecessary hurdle for Maltese residents to travel, together with undermining consumer confidence for the tourism industry during this already very challenging winter period.” The Malta International Airport added that the restrictions go against the spirit of the European Union to facilitate free movement across all European Member States.

Meanwhile, the local health authorities registered fewer positive cases of COVID-19 for the fifth consecutive days. However, three patients – 2 men aged 77 and 81, and a woman aged 81 – have died while receiving treatment for coronavirus at Mater Dei hospital. So far, the pandemic has claimed 492 lives. 126 patients are still in hospital, of whom nine are in intensive care.

During the last 24 hours, 432 new coronavirus were registered as 868 patients recovered from the virus. The number of active cases stands 13,614.

(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta was included in a draft blacklist of ‘offshorè countries by the Russian government. This move from the Russian Ministry of Finance will deny support to some of Russiàs largest companies as from next year unless the companies send back money invested abroad.
In recent years, the Russian government took tough decisions on Russian companies registered in low-tax jurisdictions abroad as President Vladimir Putin attempts to control tax avoidance schemes.
A large number of prominent Russian businessmen and politicians acquired Maltese citizenship through the cash-for-passport scheme, and allowed them to move billions of rubles out of Russia.
Malta was included on the blacklist together with 56 other countries including Cyprus, Ireland, Switzerland, and US states of Delaware and Wyoming.
The Russian Finance Ministry said that Russian firms in which offshore entities have a stake of at least 25% will not be eligible for emergency coronavirus relief or low-interest government-backed loans from 1 January 2023.
Companies based in Malta pay the lowest tax on profits of any country in the EU. Local businesses pay a 35% tax on profits, but foreign corporations pay as little as 5% due to a complex tax system. Last year, the Maltese government agreed to the global tax rate but declared its reservations when it comes to companies which register €750 million or more in profit and operating in certain sectors.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta was ranked among the top 10 worst countries to live in, attaining poor record for the environment, security and the cost of living. According to the survey ‘The 2021 Expat Insider’, Malta was classified 50th from 59 countries.

Malta came 54th in terms of quality of life, 43rd for safety and security, 46th for digital life, 56th for the quality of the environment, 56th for the quality of transport and travel and 48th for personal happiness.

Malta fared slightly better in terms of the ease of settling in, classifying it at 35th while ranked 31st in the experience of working in the country as a foreign national, 51st in maintaining personal finance and 35th when considering the cost of living.

These results confirm Maltàs worsening reputation, with the country having slumped from third place in the 2015 survey to 50th in 2021.

According to a survey, the worst place for expats to live in was awarded to Kuwait. Taiwan was classified first, followed by Mexico, Costa Rica, Malaysia and Portugal. 12,420 participants, representing 174 nationalities living in 186 countries participated in the survey.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Maltese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Chris Fearne stated that Malta has the highest administered rate of the third dose against Covid-19 and the least number of patients recovering in hospital due to the pandemic in Europe.
The health authorities have also confirmed that 1,133,334 vaccine doses have been administered by Saturday, of which 278,153 are booster doses.
The local health authorities also confirmed that only few people are suffering from lung damage because of Covid-19. 70% of confirmed infections are from the Omicron variant. 131 patients with Covid-19 are receiving treatment in hospital, of which seven are in intensive care.
Meanwhile, the positive cases continued to decrease for the third consecutive day with the health authorties reporting 437 new cases of Covid-19. With 542 confirmed recoveries, the number of active cases stands at 14,053. During the last 24 hours, the pandemic has claimed the life of a 84-year-old woman. So far, 489 persons lost their life.
As children returned to schools, the union representing the teachers confirmed that several schools had to offer online teaching because many students and teachers are stuck in quarantine.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Maltese authorities did not allow MSC Grandiosa to enter Malta due to tens of passengers on board who have tested positive for COVID-19.
According to local reports, hundred of passengers among them Maltese and Italian holidaymakers are stuck on board the cruise ship who was sailing between Malta, Spain, France and Italy on a seven day trip.
Around 150 people were tested positive following medical tests taken during an excursion in Marseille. Although all passengers on board and the crew are all vaccinated, most of the infected passengers are Italians showing no symptoms. No Maltese on board was tested positive.
The cruise ship is on its way to Palma de Mallorca, and all passengers will be tested for COVID-19. The Maltese agent representing the cruise liner said that if the Maltese passengers on board will test negative again, they will be sent back to Malta.Meanwhile, the Maltese health authorities confirmed 1,144 new coronavirus cases while two women, aged 56 and 67 died due to the virus. The number of active cases has increased to 15,065 and 114 patients are receiving treatment at Mater Dei Hospital, of which five are in intensive care. 1,106,647 doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered to date, including 254,889 booster doses.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Ten Italian MEPs from the European Peoplès Party have written to the European Commission asking to guarantee that Yorgen Fenech, accused as the mastermind behind the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia or anyone else involved in her killing would not benefit from any EU funding for the gas pipeline project that will connect Malta to Sicily.
The MEPs from Italy reminded that Caruana Galiziàs son Matthew has strongly opposed EU funding since it would financially reward Yorgen Fenech, a shareholder of the Electrogas consortium. Although the gas pipeline would not be operated by Electrogas, the consortium is set to receive a sizeable payout for the termination of its gas supply contract.
The European Commission was asked to specify what measures will be taken to ensure that EU funds do not benefit anyone involved directly or indirectly in the assassination of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – All football matches in Malta are being posponed by two weeks due to the high number of COVID-19 cases and quarantine rules affecting various football clubs. The decision was taken by the Executive Committee of the Malta Football Association.
All football competitions will now restart as from January, 17.
Meanwhile, the positive cases registered during the last 24 hours continued to increase with the number of active cases stands at 14,121.
The Maltese health authorities confirmed that Malta registered 1,147 new COVID-19 cases while a 65-year-old man lost his life. 124 patients are receiving treatment at Mater Dei Hospital, of which five are in intensive care. So far, the pandemic has left 480 victims.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – The Maltese authorties have once again ignored the repeated calls, this time to assist around 70 migrants stranded on an oil platform in Maltàs search and rescue zone and it is feared that the migrants will be send back to Tunisia.
According to local reports, Malta is insisting that the Tunisian and German authorities are responsible for the platform which is in Maltese waters.
On twitter, the rescue ship ‘Louise Michel’ communicated that “a Tunisian warship arrived on site. We fear that the remaining people on the platform will be pulled back illegally to Tunisia, which is not a safe country”.
The migrants are in desperate need of a safe place as the weather conditions are worsening.
Meanwhile, a further 31 people were rescued from a drifting wooden boat and are now on board the vessel funded by British artists Banksy.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews

VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – At least two-thirds of new coronavirus cases being registered in Malta have been attributed to the Omicron variant, health minister Chris Fearne said.
Writing on Twitter, Fearne said 67% of the new cases currently sequenced in Malta are now of the variant which was initially detected in South Africa.
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews