The government's decision to not accept any more migrant vessels is based on the fact that Malta's military and medical resources are limited due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the government will always keep Malta and Gozo's helath as top priority, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Sunday morning.
Speaking on party media, Abela explained that the decision to close the ports should not be seen as one rooted in racism. "I disapprove of any comments that might instigate this as we are not a population that endorses racism."
He said that this restriction is not exclusive to immigrants as it applies for anyone entering or leaving the country. This includes the Maltese and Gozitan people as well since the government has limited any unnecessary transits across our islands.
"This was not an easy decision to take as one understands that these people are coming from countries that are at war," he said.
Malta is also at war, not in its traditional sense but against the Covid-19 situation and at the moment all military and health resources are so focused on it, which is why Abela believes that Malta cannot afford to sacrifice any of them to help migrants.
"We are the government of the Maltese and Gozitan people and we are entrusted with their health. so the decision was not an egoistic one but one that had our society in mind."
He was also asked about the effectiveness of the financial packages that the government has released to help out businesses.
Abela said that the government has seen that these packages have been able to safeguard employment by helping help businesses stay on their feet.
He explained that this is a time for the government to give back to the businesses and workers who helped improve Malta's economy.
"This government acknowledges that these businesses played an important role in our economic success. Both local and foreign workers put in a lot of time and effort for this to happen so this is the time for the government to give back to the public and ensure that when we get back to normal we can bounce back and recover immediately," he said.
Abela was also asked if he still thinks that the situation is under control in light of the first deaths of Covid-19 patients in Malta.
While extending his condolences to the families of these victims, he acknowledged that this does not discriminate as it hit people from all walks of life and age groups, which has been detrimental for other countries like Italy and Spain.
"In Malta we had the advantage of starting off on a strong footing as we approached the situation by looking at what other countries were going through and staying proactive and ahead of the game. We had a contingency plan for everything that might take place. Some of it is already being used but we hope we don't have to use all of it," he said.
He emphasised that this all depends on how much the public will cooperates since if people continue to break regulations, the government will have to make stricter measures as such actions could affect the contingency place that we have in place.
"Yes, we have contained the situation and we will keep working on it. But it does not mean that we can relax if the number of cases announced today is low, even though it is Easter," he said. "There are a lot of people who not able to celebrate this holiday because they are at the frontline battling against Covid-19. So, the best we can do is show solidarity to them and do our part. We have to appreciate this and make our own sacrifices."
As a concluding note, he said that this will be an Easter which everyone will remember, not only because of the Covid-19 situation but also because it brought back important values we might have overlooked along the way.
"We are seeing a rise in values we might have lost along the way, such as family and solidarity. We have to think of others not just about ourselves as there are individuals who are more vulnerable than we might be more vulnerable than us," he said. "What is important is that we maintain these values once this is all over."