When, just before the start of summer, the government announced the idea to give the whole population – people over 16 and foreigners residing in Malta – a bunch of vouchers for them to use as part of a strategy to rekindle the economy, the usual critics dubbed it as a populist move intended solely to earn votes.

Some went as far as denigrating the idea so much that they declared, on the social media, that they do not need hand-outs from the government and as such were giving out their vouchers to people in need or to charity. Whether they really did so is another matter.

To be blunt, the government did earn kudos, especially in sectors of the society where income is low. But the initiative was by and large welcomed across the board – not only by consumers, but also by businessmen, who realised immediately that it would have had a positive impact on the economy. It was only those few grumpy citizens who always find fault with what any Labour government does who condemned it.

The vouchers scheme had two aims – the first was to give financial assistance to all individuals at a time when many saw their income reduced via pay-cuts; the second was for it to serve as a boost to the economy as it slowly emerged from the difficulties sustained when the airport was closed and restaurants and retail outlets were shut down in an attempt to contain the spread of Coronavirus.

Each individual was given €80 in red vouchers to be used in hotels and restaurants and another €20 in blue vouchers to be spent in retails outlets which were forcibly closed by the government in the early stages of the pandemic.

Figures given last week by Economy Minister Silvio Schembri showed the positive effect that the scheme had. For one thing, people making use of the vouchers ended up spending more than they were allotted. For every red voucher redeemed, customers spent an additional €7.16, while an extra €16.42 was spent with every blue voucher used.

Nearly €26 million worth of vouchers, or about 60%, had been utilised in purchasing products and services until 1 September, but in all more than €37 million were spent by customers who added on their personal expenditure.

This money was a much needed injection to the pockets of entrepreneurs, who had seen their sales plummet to zero or thereabouts in spring, when the economy was at a standstill.

Until 1 September, 60% of the vouchers had been used, with the red ones being more popular. It is hoped that when the heat of the summer subsides, people will be more willing to visit retail outlets to use their blue vouchers, of which only 17% have been redeemed.

It is therefore a good thing that the government has decided to extend the validity of the scheme from the end of September to the end of October, as this will give more time for consumers to use the vouchers they received and not let them go to waste.