The Nationalist Party has supported a call by a business lobby group to further reduce quarantine periods for Covid-19 cases to five days, as has been done in the United States.

In a statement, the PN said that it supported the call of the Chamber of SMEs to reduce the quarantine period given the “weaker virulence” of the Omicron variant and given the massive number of active cases and tens of thousands of people in quarantine.

“The current situation has a tremendous impact on the country's operations and economy, even though the government minimizes the issue,” said to justify the idea.

PN also called for a proper structure to be in place for those who genuinely cannot take the vaccine since they are facing lots of uncertainty ahead of January 17th, especially since helplines are almost impossible to get through.

“The proposed system should also be reviewed to ensure it is fair and does not unnecessarily burden Maltese citizens, especially those travelling abroad, as highlighted by Malta International Airport,” the PN said.

The PN also reiterated its call for a wage supplement extension to specific sectors struggling most with the drop in tourism and cancelled bookings.

The party welcomed Robert Abela's statement that this proposal is being considered and urges him to be specific. As PN had said, the decision to extend the wage supplement until the end of January created more uncertainty for businesses.

Abela announced on Sunday that the wage supplement will be extended beyond the end of January for some sectors.

The PN also reiterated its call on the government to stop ignoring calls to legalize self-testing kits.