Anything but a level playing field is not acceptable

In a recent development earlier this week, Health Minister Chris Fearne announced an updated quarantine rule which allows fully vaccinated healthcare workers to go into quarantine for five days instead of fourteen. However, this new rule only applies to employees working at Mater Dei Hospital.

Although this decision is welcomed in order to ease pressure on healthcare workers by freeing up staff at an earlier stage, it is deemed to be unfair as it only applies to healthcare workers in the public sector. In fact, the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, and more specifically the Care Home Operators Committee, has been proposing various recommendations to tackle staff shortages, and reduce bureaucracy and red tape in the public and private sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Government is therefore being asked to reconsider this decision and offer the same terms and conditions to all employees who are fully vaccinated, across all sectors to alleviate the COVID-19 burden as much as possible.