Tomorrow marks the second anniversary of Covid-19’s arrival in Malta.
It was an inevitable situation. The virus was already spreading through parts of the world, including Europe.
On 7 March 2020, the news of the first three Covid-positive patients in the country broke – a young girl and her parents.
The fear and panic quickly set in. People flooded to supermarkets buying packets upon packets of toilet paper rolls and filling up shopping trolleys with bottles of water, as well as food. Little was known about Covid at the time, except that it was spreading fast internationally and that people in other countries had died from it.
In the days following, travel to five countries was banned and a few more cases confirmed. A two-week mandatory quarantine for people who came from the five countries affected by the travel ban was imposed.
Things were moving quickly and the first month of Covid saw people’s way of life change, drastically.
On 12 March, the first major measures were announced – schools and childcare centres were to close for a week. The authorities were appealing to the elderly and vulnerable to stay at home.
Soon, the obligatory quarantine was extended to anyone coming from abroad. Calls for a lockdown were being countered by the government that said that it would cause more harm.
On 16 March 2020, Prime Minister Robert Abela announced the closure of bars, restaurants, clubs, cinemas and gyms. It was later announced that schools were to remain closed. This school closure lasted until the end of the scholastic year.
Soon after, the health authorities began appealing for workers who are able to work from home, to do so.
On 18 March, government announced a €1.8bn package to aid businesses and safeguard employment. The package included €700m in tax deferrals and €900m in loan guarantees, among other things.
Two days later the country’s borders were shut and only government-organised repatriation flights were allowed.
On 22 March, non-essential shops were closed. Public gatherings were also banned.
Another major announcement was made a couple of days later. Government said that it was going to pay full-time workers, in certain economic sectors, €800 per month. This was the first form of the wage supplement. The wage supplement has been present in some form ever since.
Malta declared a public health emergency on 1 April.
By 6 April, Malta had 241 Covid cases in total.
Looking back, the first month was a surreal experience for all Maltese. Nobody was really ready for it; nobody knew how to handle it. It was just the beginning.
The first Covid-related death was registered on 8 April 2020. The victim was a 92-year-old woman.
Easing of restrictions and the charter boats controversy
May 2020 marked the first relaxation of restrictive measures. In the month’s first days, travel between Malta and Gozo was relaxed, after certain restrictive measures had earlier been introduced. It was also announced that some shops would be allowed to reopen… The mandatory wearing of masks in shops and on public transport was imposed.
In April and May, a controversial issue began to make headlines. Government, given that Malta’s borders were closed, paid for charter cruise ships, like Captain Morgan, to house rescued migrants out at sea.
The move saw international condemnation, primarily from NGOs who dedicate themselves to rescuing lives at sea. Eventually, the asylum seekers were disembarked in Malta, however, 32 of the migrants, who were held aboard Captain Morgan and Supreme Cruises' tourism would later, in 2021, file an application before the First Hall of the Civil Court in its Constitutional Jurisdiction, arguing that their human rights were breached while they were held at sea.
On 25 May, Floriana was declared the football champions and supporters took to the streets for a massive street party. This was widely condemned by many given the Covid restrictions and fears at the time.
In May and June, restrictions generally began easing. Restaurants were allowed to open as were other businesses, like bars and gyms. Sports restrictions were also eased.
The number of Covid-cases at the time was under control, and things were looking up, with the Prime Minister even indicating that Covid was behind us. This month also saw a number of measures to support businesses which were dubbed “a mini-budget”. This would cost the government €900m. These measures included the announcement of the Covid voucher scheme.
The public health emergency that had been in place was also removed at the end of June 2020 and Malta reopened its borders on 1 July to certain countries, welcoming the first tourists.
Certain questionable decisions had been taken that summer, such as allowing mass events. The infamous “Hotel Takeover” party that took place saw widespread scrutiny and calls for such events to be banned, after some party-goers tested Covid positive. Some feast-goers also tested positive.
Cases were again rising but the Prime Minister was insisting that Covid was under control.
In August, restrictions were imposed on mass events, limiting the number of people allowed and the reintroduction of public gatherings, among others.
In the middle of all of this, the tourism sector was still struggling. In October 2020 it emerged that government was going to ask the EU for permission to financially aid Air Malta.
Tourism numbers for 2020 in general were very low compared to 2019.
In October more restrictions were imposed, including the mandatory wearing of masks outdoors. At the end of October, bars and clubs were shut.
As Christmas neared, talk of the Covid vaccines increased and hopes were raised that the world might, finally, have a weapon against the virus.
On 27 December 2020, people started being vaccinated. Healthcare workers were first, followed by the elderly and vulnerable later. The first vaccine to arrive was Pfizer.
While bars and clubs were still shut, on New Year ’s Eve government announced that it will allocate €1m to bar owners and clubs to support them. This amount would increase later given the extended period of time that these establishments were to remain closed.
A New Year
On 10 January 2021, the first shipment of Moderna vaccines arrived in Malta.
In February, new restrictions came into force. Restaurants had to close by 11pm, holiday rentals were to be fined for overcrowding, among other things.
The first doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrived on 7 February.
A shocking breach of Covid regulations came in the form of a rave at White Rocks at the end of February 2021.
As Covid number were still an issue, harsher restrictions were again implemented. Restaurants and cafes were closed, again. Mass events banned.
On 6 March 2021, the day before the first Covid anniversary, Ħamrun Spartans fans held a large gathering to celebrate their team’s victory, despite the Covid-19 restrictions.
A few days later, government ordered that all schools, non-essential shops and services close for at least one month. Organised sports activities were also halted.
At the end of March 2021, government announced the extension of certain measures to support businesses and the reintroduction of the tax deferral scheme.
The situation on the island began to improve in April and restrictions eased, gradually. First primary schools and childcare centres were to open physically, followed by middle and secondary schools. Non-essential shops opened later in the month and non-essential services were able to resume.
Malta’s vaccination strategy was moving forward in full steam. At the beginning of May, it was announced that people aged over 30 were able to apply.
On 6 May 2021, government published a timeline for the easing of Covid restrictions for the weeks to come. It was beginning to look like Malta would be having a summer. A few days later, government also announced that a second round of Covid vouchers would launch on 7 June.
On 10 May restaurants and cafes reopened, but under heavy restrictions. Other restrictions were also eased.
Certain Covid protection measures were having side-effects – The Malta Independent reported in May 2021 that mask-wearing and social distancing, had resulted in a marked drop in patients contracting respiratory diseases, including influenza and common colds.
The effects of mental health were also being more widely noted. Forty-six per cent of businesses noted that issues of mental health and detachment among employees increased compared to pre-Covid times, a survey carried out by the Chamber of SMEs, published in May 2021, read.
Herd immunity and vaccine certificates
As the Covid situation continued to improve, another announcement was made on 24 May 2021. Government planned to begin relaxing its mask-wearing rules on 1 July for people who are fully vaccinated. Malta, the government said, reached its herd immunity target. Gyms were allowed to open and contact sports to resume.
1 June marked the beginning of the vaccine certificates in the country. With this introduction, government started relaxing other measures. As an example, it announced that seated social and cultural events would be allowed to take place in July, capped at 100 people.
While things were beginning to look up, a different sort of problem was becoming more apparent. A number of sectors, mainly restaurants and hotels, were struggling to find employees.
As from 1 July, Malta started recognising and accepting the EU digital vaccine certificates. As time went on, Malta began recognising vaccine certificates from more countries.
By mid-July, the Covid numbers began to spike again, and from 14 July English language schools would close, and only people with a valid vaccinated certificate would be allowed into the country. It was confirmed that the Delta Covid variant had reached the country.
At the end of August, it was announced that small standing events for the fully vaccinated would be allowed from September.
On 6 September, the first Covid booster shots were given to elderly care home residents. It seemed that the effectiveness of the original doses was waning.
In September, government began to allow the easing of certain restrictions for establishments that only allowed people with valid vaccine certificates to enter.
On 15 November 2021 a massive conference called the SiGMA Europe Summit was held at the MFCC complex in Ta’ Qali. The news broke that Covid-19 protocols, set out by health authorities for major events, were not being followed. The incident caused an uproar.
On 24 November 2021, government announced that children aged between 5 and 11 were to be given the opportunity to be vaccinated as from mid-December.
The mental health situation in the country was again brought to light. Mental health support requests received by the Richmond Foundation continued to rise substantially since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, statistics presented by the Richmond Foundation in November showed.
In December, the problems at Air Malta were again rearing their head. While a spokesperson had said that the last three months of 2021 (especially October) were encouraging for Air Malta, problems cropped up. “Ongoing lack of customer confidence in making bookings, social uneasiness, the continued changes in travel requirements by some countries and the fears of the Omicron variant in the last weeks have depressed market sentiment and booking demand has lost its momentum,” the spokesperson had said in December.
During the Covid pandemic, airlines also had to settle refund requests for flights cancelled.
23 December saw the first two cases of Omicron confirmed in the country, at a time when Covid numbers were skyrocketing. It was also announced that from 17 January, a valid vaccine certificate would be required to enter many establishments – with some exceptions made for those under 18. The certificate would only be valid for nine months after taking the booster dose.
Record numbers
The end of December and beginning of January saw the highest daily Covid numbers in Malta recorded.
1,298 new cases were registered on 28 December, 1,337 on 29 December, 1,353 on 30 December and the highest ever – 1,403 on 31 December.
4 January saw 1,147 new cases.
On New Year’s Eve, the announcement was made that schools would reopen online for a few days, before resuming in-person on 10 January,
The days with the most recorded Covid deaths were 20 January with six and 23 January with seven.
Air Malta’s troubles and the general election
On 13 January, government announced that the next week mask-wearing restrictions for people who received the booster shot in groups of two outdoors were no longer enforced. Restaurants would also be allowed to operate at full capacity. The decision was made as 70% of the population was soon expected to have received the booster.
A major announcement regarding Air Malta came on 14 January. The airline was going to reduce its staff complement by over 400, which amounts to around half of the personnel. While the airline was in trouble before Covid, the effects of the virus on tourism were huge.
At the end of January, government announced that the vaccine certificate requirement rules would be relaxed by mid-February. The certificate would not be required for entry into establishments like bars, gyms, restaurants and others. It was still enforced for some activities.
In February, government also announced a number of quarantine period reductions.
Prime Minister Abela announced the general election date on 20 February for 26 March. Restrictions for weddings are expected to ease later this year.
Rising prices
One issue of concern throughout the pandemic has been the rising prices of goods. This is due to a number of factors, including supply problems that have become apparent. This is still an issue the country is grappling with today.
Today
Malta has around 845 active Covid cases. Over 1.2 million vaccine doses have been administered. In total, Malta has had 71,733 cases of the virus so far. 69,869 of those have recovered.