The current solutions the government is providing are creating problems for the disability sector, PN MP Kevin Cutajar said on Monday.

Speaking in Parliament, Cutajar said, "people with disability need much more than just a COVID-19 fund from the government, we need therapy, we need more guidance. The government constantly talks about opening the economy and rushing back to normality, but there is no care about the impact all this has on people with disability."

Cutajar, Malta's first blind MP, explained that, whilst the government has made it mandatory to wear masks in retail outlets and public transport, there has been no guidance for those who disabled and need guidance on how to wear a mask properly and to understand social distancing. "How can we understand and keep social distance? We need additional support."

He said that, whilst restaurants and catering establishments have been granted permission to use pavements to increase seating and abide by social distancing measures, this impacts those people with disabilities even more. He expressed that people with disabilities have been fighting to gain more accessibility in society and now it is being taken away from them. "The government cannot allow this to continue and, so far, the disability community has heard nothing from the government."

Cutajar also said that there is a serious situation in Gozo and that the tourism sector is struggling on the sister island. "If there is no tourism, there is no Gozo. We have had a number of tourist operators who have still not received the wage supplement from the government. We cannot allow the situation to continue and we need to focus tourism as a key factor for Gozo to survive."