A photo of crowds congregating at St George’s bay after clubs and pubs shut for the night shows just how unphased some people are by the pandemic, but at the same time came as no surprise.

The decision to close bars and clubs at 11pm has been one which has resulted in some scrutiny. Some argue that the virus does not rest past 11pm, and thus the measure makes no sense, while other say that it will deter some from going to such venues, and limit the contact between people due to the restricted closing times.

When it comes to areas like Paceville, however, the latter arguments don’t hold weight.

Paceville has long been Malta’s entertainment centre. Many people who frequent the area often end up intoxicated. It is, therefore, no surprise that crowds of youths would want to continue their buzz after 11pm, especially on weekends. The end result was a crowd of people on a beach, a number of whom were not wearing facemasks.

The image sparked outrage on social media, and St. Julian’s mayor Albert Buttigieg called it an “insult to all our elderly people locked inside, to parents who are doing their utmost to protect their children and to students and workers who have to wear face masks all day!”

The number of Covid-19 cases in Malta is high compared to what it was a few months ago. More people are dying as a result.

The Home Affairs Minister said that he was angered by the image, and that the crowds were dispersed by the police soon after the photo was taken.

It has always been known that the Paceville area needs more police officers present than most others. Now more than ever, on weekend evenings Paceville should have a heavier police presence, precisely to dissuade such gatherings from occuring in the first place.

If one of those revellers had the virus, dispersing the crowd soon after would likely be too late.

Perhaps stricter enforcement measures are needed to act as a deterrent.

Enough time has passed since the start of the pandemic now for everyone to be aware of the consequences of their actions. This is no longer an educational problem, and those who blatantly breach regulations are selfish and deserve maximum fines.

Regardless of this incident, the majority of people have been abiding by the regulations, but a number of government decisions have caused some to question certain things.

While the regulations allow people to remove a facemask when public speaking, this has resulted in Malta’s top politicians almost always being seen on TV without one. Given that, generally speaking, people need to wear masks in almost all other situations, this sends the wrong message. If politicians want people to follow the regulations, then they must lead by example and be seen to be wearing the masks at all times.

In addition, the Prime Minister’s ‘amnesty’ comment during the first wave, despite what his intentions were, is still fresh in people’s memory. He cannot and should not repeat the same mistake.