The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry said it is pleased to note that the restrictions adopted in response to the spike in Covid-19 cases a month ago have so far had the desired effect.

The President of the Chamber, Marisa Xuereb, said that this comes at high cost to businesses and their employees, and therefore every effort needs to be made in terms of both enforcement and personal responsibility to ensure that cases do not overwhelm us again and our economy can reopen and stay open safely.

The Chamber commended the decision to give priority to the reopening of schools and to stagger the reopening of other establishments to ensure that the situation remains under control. With the vaccine roll-out progressing at a steady pace, it is imperative that we continue working on reducing case numbers through social distancing measures, so that we may approach the summer in a favourable position to start reopening for tourism with appropriate visitor protocols.

What certainly needs to improve is communication with social partners on the implementation and relaxation of restrictions. The Chamber said it expected that the date of reopening of establishments, for which no timeline has been set yet, is communicated soon to allow operators to plan accordingly.

With constructive communication, Covid containment efforts can be better coordinated and all parties are likely to be more forthcoming in understanding and supporting the tough measures that the business community has to contend with, the chamber said.