Following another record number of cases, where 1,298 new Covid-19 cases were found on Tuesday, the Nationalist Party is calling for better efficiency in the booster rollout as well as swab testing.

“We should have been in a more prepared position to face the spike in cases and the Omicron variant,” it said.

Currently, there are hours long waits to get the booster vaccine, the PN said in a statement. It added that appointments for swab tests are being given in a month’s time. It has also become impossible to reach 111 and 145 helplines. This is completely unacceptable as a government who supposedly has two years of experience in managing a pandemic, the party said.

The government’s inefficiency is causing anxieties and hardships within families, as well as loss of income for businesses, workers and the self-employed, the PN said.

People have resorted to considering taking private swab testing which could amount to up to €140 because of the weeks-long wait for a swab test appointment, despite having been in contact with a positive individual, it said. The PN added that the government must be held responsible and reimburse these costs until it is guaranteed that swab test appointments would be given in a matter of days.

“These delays are contributing to the spread of the virus as those with symptoms are not getting tested,” the party added.

After consultations with experts, the government should consider the reduction of the current 14-day quarantine for those who test negative, as per example of several European countries, it said.

The government’s inefficiency in contact tracing is consequently resulting in thousands of workers undergoing weeks of quarantine as ordered by the authorities, the PN said.

The PN is appealing for easier access of self-testing kits as well as testing from home which have been in Malta for a while yet are still difficult to access.

The party also appeals for the public to take the vaccine as well as the booster, while appealing for the government to readily prepare and anticipate the evolution of the pandemic.

The PN also shows its solidarity towards victims as well as appreciation towards frontliners.