The Malta Chamber welcomes herd immunity but the real test is yet to come

The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry welcomes the announcement that Malta is achieving herd immunity but warns that the pandemic is not yet behind us and we are still far off from business as usual. Many businesses, which played a critical role in achieving herd immunity, are still on survival mode and they can only thrive if there is certainty, visibility and consumer confidence.

The EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRP) lies squarely at the heart of this response. While 23 EU member states have already drafted, consulted and submitted their RRP plans for approval by the EU, Malta has not yet submitted its plans. The Malta Chamber believes that RRP is crucial for businesses to start planning on how to thrive instead of how to survive. No sector should be forgotten or left behind. Every job is important. Every sector is important.

While herd immunity will hopefully help infections to naturally taper off, the real test will most likely come in a few weeks time when Malta continues to lift its restrictions and fully reopen its borders. In this context, the Malta Chamber urges for cautious optimism and to remain vigilant. As Malta reopens, authorities must strengthen their existing enforcement measures and implement stricter border controls. Otherwise, the efforts of everyone including the businesses who stepped up and played a critical role in encouraging and supporting their employees to get vaccinated would be futile.