Two ministers have criticised PN leader hopeful Bernard Grech for not respecting quarantine rules related to the spread of Coronavirus.

On Friday, Grech said he was physically returning to the campaign for the PN leadership after testing negative twice. Grech self-isolated on Tuesday after his wife tested positive for the virus, but said he was returning to the campaign after testing negative on Wednesday and Friday.

Ministers Silvio Schembri and Aaron Farrugia criticised Grech’s decision, saying it was disrespectful. In reply, Grech has said that he was never placed under mandatory quarantine.

In a post on Facebook, Economy Minister Schembri said that he has been working from home for two weeks, and had to cancel all his appointments to follow the advice of the health authorities after relatives of his had come in contact with a person who had tested positive.

“In spite of the fact that my family and I took a swab test which resulted negative, out of respect to others we spent 14 days at home,” he said.

Grech has chosen to return to his campaign in person although his wife tested positive a few days ago, Schembri wrote. “Is this the respect that Grech has towards people?” Schembri asked. “Or is he prepared to take people for a ride at all costs? Or did he try to avoid journalists because of his tax and VAT shortcomings?”

In a similar post, Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia asked whether Grech is “special”?

He said he had been in quarantine for two weeks some time ago after he had met a person who had tested positive a few days later. All members of his secretariat and his family were also in quarantine, he said.

“Does not Grech care for the people around him?” Farrugia asked.

In his reply, Grech said that he was never placed under mandatory quarantine.

He said his wife had self-isolated before any Covid symptoms and in fact her first test on 18 September was negative. She remained in isolation until a second test on 21 September, which was positive, and she was placed in mandatory quarantine.

The quarantine, he said, was not extended to him and the couple's children because the last contact had been when she had no symptoms and had been negative.

He said he decided to go into quarantine on a voluntary basis and had resulted negative in two tests on 23 and 25 September. Even the children were found to be negative, he said.