Malta closes bars and clubs, caps public gatherings at 6 persons

From 29 October

From tomorrow, 29 October, more Covid-19 containment measures, including the closure of night-time drinking establishments and new limits on public gatherings will take effect in Malta.

As the Health Ministry has announced, all bars and clubs should close till 1 December. Snack bars and kiosks may remain open with a recess between 11 pm and 5 am of the next morning and under the obligation to not provide, offer or sell any type of alcoholic beverages to clients.

Also from tomorrow, a maximum of six persons may gather in a group in public spaces, including in queues and on bus stops unless 2 m social distancing is maintained between them. The current limit is 10 persons.

Members of the same household/residence are exempt from this restriction. Non-compliance will result in a fine of EUR 200 which, if paid before the start of judicial procedures, can be reduced to EUR 100.

Supporting milk and meat suppliers

Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo, meanwhile, announced that the government will be granting EUR 1 million to herdsmen who produce milk and a quarter of a million euro to herdsmen who produce beef. Producers who supply Malta Dairy Products with milk in Malta and Gozo have been hard-hit by the pandemic, as restrictions on tourism and catering establishments have led to a falling demand for fresh milk products.

“Now herdsmen will be granted no less than a million and a quarter in direct payments from national funds, however we had to have EU approval. Indirectly, the herdsmen are benefiting from one and a half million for the herds fodder. This is not enough and we are looking at how we can assist herdsmen and farmers,” Refalo told public broadcaster TVM.

Minister Refalo reminded that a collapse of the milk industry which could have led to the dumping of milk supply had been averted at the start of the pandemic due to prompt government action. Malta Dairy Products assured that despite the lower demand, the company had adjusted its production so as to use all the milk it received from the herdsmen.