The new restrictive measures announced on Wednesday by the government have piled even more economic pressure on the hospitality industry, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) said in a statement.

The MHRA, as a result, has called on the government to speed up the vaccine rollout and achieve herd immunity by June, rather than August.

“The business of hospitality is to bring people together and the Covid-19 virus thrives on social gatherings and multiplies with social contact. The hospitality industry understands this fact and was pinning and is still pinning its hopes on the quickest possible rollout of the vaccine in the Maltese islands, so that one can return to some form of normality and allow the hospitality industry to move out of the ‘intensive care’ zone into the ‘rehabilitation zone’.”

The MHRA stressed the need for the “so-called herd immunity - that is 75% of the population being vaccinated - is reached before end June 2021, which would enable the industry to be open for business for the summer season.”

“The Health Ministry’s roadmap for vaccination at the present moment is projected to reach the ‘herd immunity’ by end August 2021. The country needs to bring this target forward to end June 2021,” the MHRA said, while urging the government to do whatever is necessary to ensure that the June target is reached.

MHRA said that it has conveyed to government its continued support to ensure that protocols are adhered to and will continue its dialogue to ensure that Malta will exit this immensely difficult period in the shortest time possible. “In this respect, meetings are regularly held between MHRA and the highest authorities, to ensure close and continued cooperation between the stakeholders of the hospitality industry and the government.”