Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo insisted Monday that inspectors from the Malta Tourism Authority had carried out inspections at the Sigma conference in Ta’ Qali but was unable to provide any details.

The Malta Independent reported last week how Covid-19 protocols were not being followed at the conference, which was attended by thousands of visitors and investors. Attendees and staff working at the conference said no temperature checks were being taken, visitors were bot being asked to produce their vaccine certificate and hardly anyone was wearing masks inside the venue.

Pictures that were uploaded by the organisers on the event’s social media pages also showed that very few individuals were wearing a face mask, despite it being a mandatory guideline established by the government for events to take place.

The enforcement of Covid-19 rules is carried out by the health authorities, the police, the MTA and Transport Malta. This newsroom was unable to confirm which authority was tasked with enforcing the rules at the Sigma event.

The police did take action by shutting down a related event that was taking place in Paceville on Wednesday, but it seems that no enforcement was carried out at the MFCC, where the main event was taking place, spread over a number of days.

While the organisers did start enforcing some protocols after the publication of our report, it seems that no authority visited the event.

The Malta Independent spoke to Bartolo during the launch of the La Vallette Marathon - an event that seeks to marry a Maltese cultural experience to the Sports industry in Malta.

When asked why the MTA – an entity that falls under his responsibility – had not carried out any inspections at Ta’ Qali, Bartolo said the authority had carried out over 8,000 checks over the past few months. He said MTA enforcement officers had also visited the Sigma event.

When pressed to give the dates and times when such inspections had taken place, Bartolo said he did not have the information in hand. “God forbid that I have details on MTA inspections. The MTA carries out inspections independently of the minister. If the minister gets involved, then enforcement would have failed.”

Bartolo said enforcement is carried out “according to established protocols”, adding that he has full confidence in the authority to carry out its functions.

Pressed again to give details on the Sigma event, Bartolo said he was aware that inspections had been carried out but did not know when.

Asked about the Christmas period, Bartolo said the authorities would continue to follow what is happening locally and abroad to “find the necessary balance between people’s livelihoods and public health.” 

He said the government will be prepared for any eventuality.